HMHPWBBiaWDHHHUaaHHBI 


GIFT  OF 

Sir   Henry  Heyman 


7^- 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

AND    THE 

MUSICAL    FUND    SOCIETY 


This  Edition  is  limited  to  Six 
Hundred  and   Twenty  Copies 


ANNALS  OF  MUSIC 
IN  PHILADELPHIA 
AND  HISTORY  OF 
THE  MUSICAL  FUND 
SOCIETY 

FROM  ITS  ORGANIZATION 
IN   1820  TO   THE  YEAR  1858 

COMPILED   BY 

LOUIS   C.   MADEIRA 
EDITED  BY  PHILIP  H.  GOEPP 


J.    B.   LIPPINCOTT    COMPANY 
PHILADELPHIA    MDCCCXCVI 


T5H3 


Copyright,  1896, 

by 

J.  B.  Lippincott  Company. 


J.  a.  JLippincott  company,    jm 


Printed  by  J.  B.  Lippincott  Company,  Philadelphia. 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  I.  Page 

Early  Conditions  :  Church  Music :  Bishop 
White 17 

CHAPTER  11. 

Earliest  Dramatic  Entertainments :  Preju- 
dice against  the  Theatre :  Legislation : 
Local  Musicians a6 

CHAPTER   III. 

Instruments  :  First  Piano-forte :  Benjamin 
Franklin :  Musical  Glasses :  Eminent 
Musicians :    Societies 46 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Beginnings  of  the  Musical  Fund  Society   .      57 

CHAPTER  V. 

Early  Years  of  the  Musical  Fund  Society .      78 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Building  of  the  Hall 93 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Early  Plans  and  Experiments  of  the  So- 
ciety   102 

i 


bb^t»iJ'>^ 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  VIII.  Page 

Figures  of  the  Time 1x3 

CHAPTER  IX, 

English  Musicians  in  Philadelphia      .        .123 

CHAPTER  X. 

Summus  Parnassus 142 

CHAPTER    XI. 

Enlargement  of  the  Hall :  The  Bazaar : 
Two  Great  Pianists 157 

CHAPTER  XII. 

The  Age  of  Song :  Sontag  and  Lind  :  The 
Future 164 

ADDENDUM. 

List  of  Members  of  the  Musical  Fund  So- 
ciety and  of  Officers,  with  the  Date  of 
Tenure,  elected  between  1820  and  1858      .    176 

INDEX Z97 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


BENJAMIN  CARR.  Page 

From  mezzotint  by  John  Sartain,  of  painting 
by  J.  C.  Darley  .  .  .       Frontispiece. 

RIGHT  REV.   WILLIAM   WHITE,   D.D. 

From  engraving  by  R.  W.  Dodson,  of  paint- 
ing by  H.  Inman ao 

MUSICAL  FUND  HALL 

Before  the  last  alterations     •         •        •        •      59 

PROGRAMME     OF     SECOND      PERFORMANCE     OF 
FIRST  CONCERT. 

Reduced  fac-simile  of  first  page  .         .        .      70 

PROGRAMME  OF  EIGHTH   CONCERT. 

Reduced  fac-simile  of  first  page  .        .        .    103 

MME.   MALIBRAN. 

From  a  contemporary  lithograph  .         .        .    108 

S.  THALBERG. 

From  a  contemporary  lithograph  .         .        .    125 

GIULIA  GRISI. 

From  the  portrait  by  Negelen,  engraved  by 

F.  C.  Lewis 139 

MEIGNIN'S   SINFONIA. 

Humorous  Sketch  of  Stage  and  Orchestra.    144 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

Page 
PROGRAMME  OF  OLE  BULL'S  SECOND  CONCERT. 

Reduced  fac-simile 149 

VIEUXTEMPS'S  CONCERT. 

Fac-simile  of  ticket 154 

THE  BAZAAR  ALBUM. 

Reduced  fac-simile  of  first  page  .        •        •    158 

JENNY  LIND. 

From   mezzotint  by  John   Sartain,  after  a 
daguerreotype  by  Richards    .        .        ,        ,    160 

PROGRAMME  OF  MME.  SONTAG'S  EXTRA  CONCERT. 

Reduced  fac-simile         .....    165 

MME.   SONTAG  AS  DONNA  ANNA. 

From  the  mezzotint  by  F.  Girard,  after  the 
painting  by  Paul  Delaroche  ....    169 

PROGRAMME  OF  ADELINA  PATTI'S  SECOND  CON- 
CERT. 

Reduced  fac-simile  of  first  portion       .        .    174 


iv 


EDITOR'S   PREFACE 


M' 


E  are  apt,  in  America,  to 
look  forward  too  exclu- 
sively,— to  think  we  have 
no  history.  ^Ve  forget 
that  we  have  had  a  cult- 
ure in  the  past,  of  w^hich  we  may  be  proud 
for  its  own  sake,  from  ^vhich  ^ve  may  gather 
encouragement  and  inspiration. 

Musical  culture  to-day  is  an  easier  matter 
than  it  was  a  century  ago.  In  the  sensa- 
tional, almost  too  emotional  character  of 
modern  music  there  is  an  appeal  as  much 
to  the  senses  as  to  the  mind.  There  is  an 
orgy  of  passive  enjoyment,  rather  than  the 
clear  thought  of  poetry. 

It  does  not  require,  nor  does  it  make  for 
culture  in  the  hearer.  In  short,  the  musical 
enthusiasm  to-day  in  our  great  cities  is  a 
less  perfect  measure  of  that  particular  state 
of  mental  and  moral  development.  The 
musical  life  in  early  Philadelphia  was  of  the 
same  cast  as  w^as  the  high  atmosphere  of 
the  Utopians  at  Concord.  The  sphere  and 
the  scope  of  the  Philadelphia  musicians 
II 


EDITOR'S   PREFACE 

were,  of  course,  much  more  limited.  But 
we  have  a  right  to  the  same  sort  of  pride 
in  their  work  as  Massachusetts  has  in  its 
Transcendentalists.  The  works  introduced 
by  Hupfeld  and  Carr  were  the  same  to 
which  to-day  w^e  turn  with  deepest  rever- 
ence. But  in  those  days  they  were  not 
hallowed  by  the  consecration  of  a  century's 
increasing  appreciation.  Then  it  needed 
genuine  courage  of  conviction,  genuine 
musical  perception,  to  play  them. 

Around  music  clusters  much  of  the  actual 
feeling  of  the  past, — the  view  of  life,  whether 
serious  or  gay,  of  amusement,  of  art.  Its 
history  gauges  the  mental  scope  of  former 
generations ;  it  shows  the  extent  to  which 
religion  and  church-life  absorbed  thought; 
how  these  gradually  and  increasingly  per- 
mitted the  romantic  stimulus  to  secular 
thought  and  feeling  abroad  to  rouse  the 
citizens  from  the  quiet  routine  of  their 
provincialism.  Thus  there  are  several 
stages  of  distinct  individuality  in  such  a 
history  as  ours : 

First.  When  music  was  viewed  as  a 
Bohemian,  semi-respectable  dissipation. 
This  attitude  was  due  in  part  to  the  strict 
tone  of  Quaker  tradition,  in  part  to  the 
quality  of  the  music  that  actually  reached 
the  city. 


EDITOR'S   PREFACE 

Second.  "When,  under  the  stimulus  of 
revolution  at  home  and  abroad,  under  the 
influence  of  a  growing  intellectual  freedom 
and  scope,  prejudices  melted  away,  music 
and  the  other  arts  were  actually  encouraged. 

Third.  The  transmission  of  the  impe- 
tus of  the  great  classic  masters. 

Fourth.  The  age  of  the  great  virtuosi, 
— instrumental  and  vocal.  The  establish- 
ment of  permanent  institutions  for  the  pro- 
duction of  musical  master-works. 

It  is  of  common  acceptance  that  the 
homogeneous  quality  which  made  us  dis- 
tinctively one  nation  has  now  largely  dis- 
appeared, owing  to  constant  introduction 
of  foreign  multitudes  which  we  cannot 
assimilate.  Inland  cities  have  been  thought 
less  affected  by  this  evil  than  seaports.  In 
reality  it  is  doubtful  whether  there  is  any 
difference.  Philadelphia  has  now  a  hope- 
lessly conglomerate  population.  Hence 
there  is  a  peculiar  interest  in  the  culture 
of  old  times.  It  represents  a  memorable 
period  of  national  development,  and  of  its 
expression  in  the  arts.  Of  this  culture 
Philadelphia  was  the  centre.  A  look  into 
the  past,  while  it  will  rouse  the  pride  of 
Philadelphians,  must  fill  them  with  a  cer- 
tain wistful  w^onderment  as  to  their  future 
destiny.  If  it  is  merely  the  general  blight 
13 


EDITOR'S   PREFACE 

of  immigration,  which  has  robbed  them  of 
artistic  hegemony,  there  is  no  reason  to 
doubt  a  recovery  after  the  period  of  assimi- 
lation. Nor  does  it  seem  that  the  passing 
of  commercial  supremacy  eastward  will 
permanently  affect  the  question  of  literary 
and  artistic  leadership.  A  city  cannot  be 
given  over  to  both  trade  and  art,  each  in  the 
highest  degree,  any  more  than  can  an  indi- 
vidual. 

Thus  a  glance  at  earlier  times  gives 
courage  and  confidence  for  the  future. 
Even  now  the  signs  of  a  new  civic  vigor 
are  growing  in  literature,  in  painting,  and  in 
music.  The  very  leisure  with  which  Phila- 
delphia is  taunted,  is  the  best  condition  for 
the  concentration  necessary  for  creative 
work.  In  so  far  our  present  conditions  are 
like  those  of  the  whole  country  when  our 
literary  classics  were  w^ritten.  Unfortu- 
nately the  reception  and  appreciation  of 
our  work  is  found  elsewhere.  Hence  Phila- 
delphia cannot  as  yet  claim  the  credit  of 
her  own  artistic  product.  There  must  first 
come  a  greater  pervading  culture  through- 
out the  population.  The  intellectual  life  of 
a  city  depends  principally  not  upon  her 
workers,  but  upon  the  general  tone  which 
appreciates,  stimulates,  and  rewards  the 
former.  In  these  days  we  are  wont  to 
.14 


EDITOR'S   PREFACE 

solve  every  problem  with  the  cheque  of 
rich  individuals.  "We  are  in  danger  of  a 
greater  as  a  more  vulgar  system  of  patron- 
age than  in  the  worst  days  of  Chesterfield 
and  of  Grubb  Street. 

In  olden  times  there  was  a  democracy  of 
culture.  There  was  no  unwashed  horde. 
A  record  of  musical  doings  is  true  of  the 
■whole  community,  not  of  a  small  circle. 
It  is  this  which  must  be  our  aim,  now  and 
always  :  not  the  support  of  an  institution  by 
the  wealthy  few,  but  the  gradual  education 
of  all,  as  the  only  permanent  soil  for  a 
higher  aesthetic  life.  To  look  elsewhere 
for  a  lasting  foundation  would  be  much  the 
same  folly  as  that  of  a  church  seeking  the 
support  of  a  few  rich  men,  indifferent  to  the 
number  of  its  members. 

PHILIP    H.  GOEPP. 


Since  the  beginning  of  this  work,  the 
compiler,  Louis  C.  Madeira,  has  passed 
away.  The  collection  of  facts,  illustrations, 
and  other  materials  for  a  musical  history 
^vas  for  years  his  favorite  occupation.  Its 
final  publication  was,  perhaps,  his  most  ab- 
sorbing wish. 

It  was,  probably,  his  connection  with  the 
Musical  Fund  Society  that  first  suggested 
15 


EDITOR'S   PREFACE 

the  idea,  as  it  gave  opportunity  for  its  fulfil- 
ment. His  membership  began  in  the  season 
of  1843-44.  Soon  he  became  one  of  the 
managers.  At  the  great  Bazaar  in  1847,  in 
the  acme  of  the  Society's  career,  he  was 
one  of  the  moving  spirits.  He  represented 
the  Society  during  the  memorable  reception 
given  to  Madame  Sontag  in  1852,  personally 
bringing  the  singer's  party  to  the  city.  He 
was  Secretary  of  the  Society  from  1856- 1858. 


16 


ANNALS      OF     MUSIC 
IN     PHILADELPHIA 


CHAPTER   I.      EARLY    CONDITIONS: 
CHURCH   MUSIC:    BISHOP   WHITE 

/IM^^HROUGHOUT  the  first  century 
g      1  of  the   history  of  Philadelphia 

fl        \  the  conditions  for  the  develop- 

^^^^^y  ment  of  musical  and  literary 
^^^^  taste  were  most  inauspicious. 
Public  feeling  or  demand  for  such  expres- 
sion may  be  said  to  have  been  at  a  point 
belo^v  zero.  In  religion  and  in  politics, 
opposition  and  interdiction  often  supply  an 
unwilling  stimulus.     It  is  not  so  in  art. 

The  only  evidence  of  musical  entertain- 
ments in  Philadelphia  before  the  middle  of 
the  eighteenth  century  is  of  a  negative 
kind.  In  1716,  at  the  Yearly  Meeting  of  the 
Friends,  members  were  advised  against 
"going  to  or  being  in  any  w^ay  concerned 
in  plays,  games,  lotteries,  music,  and 
dancing."  It  seems  probable  that  this  w^as 
intended,  if  not  as  rebuke  for  actual  indul- 
gence,  at   least   as   a   practical   prohibition 

b  17 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

rather  than  mere  enunciation  of  an  abstract 
principle. 

The  development  of  a  musical  desire  in 
Philadelphia  was  one  long  struggle  against 
Quaker  tradition  and  regulation.  It  is  sig- 
nificant that  it  was  in  the  church  that  music 
found  her  first  refuge  there,  as  it  was  in 
the  church  that  she  was  originally  reared. 
Slowly  it  dawned  upon  those  early  purists 
that  divine  worship  lost  none  of  its  serious- 
ness by  invoking  the  aid  of  music  for  its  ex- 
pression. Then  came  the  final  discovery 
that  even  secular  music  might  not  be  hostile 
to  a  wholesome  civic  life, — nay,  that  in  its 
masterpieces  might  lie  the  expression  of 
just  such  a  sentiment  as  that  which  drove 
the  Quakers  to  their  colonial  settlement. 

Christ  Church,  founded  in  1695,  was  the 
first  Episcopal  Church  in  Philadelphia.  Its 
service  was,  of  course,  that  of  the  Church 
of  England.  In  September,  1728,  within  a 
year  after  the  present  building  was  begun, 
a  new  organ  was  purchased  for  £"200,  Peter 
Brayton  and  others  being  a  committee  to 
procure  subscriptions  for  its  purchase  and 
erection.  It  is  inferred  that  there  must 
have  been  an  organ  of  some  kind  before. 
In  November,  1763,  a  subscription  was  ob- 
tained for  the  purchase  of  an  organ  from 
Philip  Feying,  who  had  built  one  for  St. 
18 


EARLY   MUSIC 

Peter's.  The  vestry  of  Christ  Church,  in 
April,  1764,  were  impressed  with  the  efforts 
of  William  Young  and  Francis  Hopkinson 
in  teaching  the  children  of  the  united  con- 
gregations of  their  own  church  and  of  St. 
Peter's  the  art  of  psalmody,  and  expressed 
their  acknowledgments.  In  1770,  Francis 
Hopkinson,  having  played  the  organ  during 
the  absence  of  Mr.  Bremmer,  the  organist, 
was  requested  to  continue  in  the  office  as 
long  as  it  was  convenient  to  him.  John 
Bankson  was  at  that  time  organist  at  St. 
Peter's.  On  the  4th  of  June,  1782,  the 
vestry  ordered  that  an  orchestra  be  erected 
in  front  of  the  gallery  where  the  organ 
stands,  for  the  convenience  of  a  number  of 
singers ;  and  in  April,  1785,  the  clerks  were 
requested  to  sing  such  tunes  only  as  "are 
plain  and  familiar  to  the  congregation ;  the 
frequent  changing  of  tunes  being  generally 
disagreeable." 

Bishop  White  appears  early  in  the  ne^v 
century  as  the  strong  champion  of  music  in 
the  Episcopal  service,  parrying  the  exist- 
ing prejudice  by  his  high  conception  of  its 
function  and  by  the  severity  with  which  he 
denounced  its  abuse. 

In  a  report  made  to  the  general  convention 
in  1808  is  the  following:  "...  as  it  is  by 
the  Gospel  that  life  and  immortality  are 
19 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

brought  to  light :  there  would  seem  to  be  a 
suitableness  to  its  high  design  in  celebrating 
its  prominent  subjects  in  definite  terms,  so 
that  many  edifying  events,  embodied  with 
Christian  doctrine  and  essential  to  it,  may 
reasonably  be  rendered  the  more  impressive 
by  their  being  carried  to  the  heart  on  the 
wings  of  poetry  and  music." 

In  a  pamphlet  on  "Thoughts  on  the 
Singing  of  the  Psalms  and  Anthems  in 
Churches,"  Bishop  White,  in  1808,  marks 
the  "  distinction  .  .  .  between  the  making 
of  devotion  pleasing  by  the  aid  of  music  and 
the  applying  of  music  to  convey  a  pleasure 
not  intended  to  be  instrumental  to  devo- 
tion." Further  on  he  says,  "concerning 
interludes  and  voluntaries"  that  "nothing 
contrary  either  to  good  taste  or  decency 
should  be  tolerated  for  the  gratification  of 
private  whim,  much  less  in  violation  of  all 
regard  to  religion  and  decorum."  He  in- 
veighs against  the  "licentiousness  .  .  . 
conspicuous  in  some  places,  in  those  light 
airs,  which  are  calculated  to  send  people 
dancing  out  of  the  church."  He  adds  that 
"it  is  well  known  that  some  members  of 
congregations  have  been  occasionally  of- 
fended by  seeing  persons  exhibited  in  their 
orchestras  as  singers  who  never  appear  in 
any  church  at  any  other  time,  and  whose 
ao 


EARLY   MUSIC 

occupation,  to  say  the  least,  is  unfavorable 
to  piety  and  morals."  In  a  letter  to  Dr. 
Abercrombie,  1807,  Bishop  W^hite  speaks  oi 
himself  as  "having  been,  so  far  as  I  know, 
the  first  clergyman  in  the  United  States 
who  introduced  chaunting  into  any  of  our 
churches."  He  adds,  in  apologetic  spirit, 
*'  W^e  sing  in  translation.  Now  if  it  be  found, 
on  experience,  as  is  the  fact,  that  rhyme, 
especially  in  the  English  language,  makes 
the  composition  agreeable  to  the  ear,  it  is 
difficult  to  see  what  principle  is  endangered 
by  condescending  to  the  v^^ell-known  taste 
of  Christians  generally  in  this  respect." 
The  first  Roman  Catholic  church  in  the 
United  States  was  St.  Joseph's,  Willing's 
Alley.  The  first  church  building  was  erected 
in  1730.  The  church  records  having  been 
lost  or  destroyed,  little  information  can  be 
obtained  relating  to  the  musical  part  of  the 
services.  Mention  is  made  of  an  organ 
having  been  in  the  church  in  1748-50,  and 
the  one  used  in  1780  is  still  in  existence. 
The  Rev.  Robert  Harding  took  charge  ot 
the  church  in  1750,  and  the  music  of  the 
services  was  under  the  care  of  a  cultivated 
musician.  The  choir  was  composed  of  the 
best  voices  obtainable,  and  new  voices  were 
sought  for  whenever  there  was  an  oppor- 
tunity. 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

It  has  been  stated  that  Lafayette,  the 
Counts  de  Rochambeau  and  de  la  Grasse, 
and  other  French  officers  of  the  Revolution 
attended  services  at  St.  Joseph's. 

The  church  was  illuminated  on  March  i, 
1781,  and  a  Te  Deum  was  chanted,  cele- 
brating the  ratification  of  the  "alliance  and 
perpetual  union  of  the  States."  Monsieur 
de  la  Luzerne,  the  French  minister,  w^ith 
his  suite,  was  present. 

At  one  time  Benjamin  Carr  was  the  or- 
ganist. 

During  the  sitting  of  the  Constitutional 
Convention,  W^ashington,  in  his  diary,  men- 
tions having  attended  a  high  mass  at  St. 
Joseph's  Church  on  Sunday,  May  27,  1787. 

"In  the  Presbyterian  Church,"  it  is  re- 
corded, "the  precentor,  or  singing  leader, 
was  an  important  officer.  His  manner  of 
leading  the  tunes  was  as  integral  a  part  of 
the  service  as  the  text  and  method  of  the 
sermon.  He  stood  beneath  the  pulpit,  with 
a  tuning-fork  in  his  hand,  at  a  table  or 
desk  placed  on  a  slight  elevation  from  the 
church  floor,  and  lined  out  the  hymns."* 
The  singing,  in  which  the  congregation 
joined,  consisted  generally  of  a  simple 
melody  in  unison.     Here  and  there  might 

*  Scharf  and  Westcott's  History  of  Philadelphia. 
22 


EARLY    MUSIC 

be  heard  parts  of  the  harmony,  sung  by 
those  who  had  confidence  enough  to  make 
themselves  conspicuous.  ^A/hen  the  leader 
had  sung  his  first  note  and  \vas  about  to 
begin  his  second,  down  at  the  farther  end 
of  the  church  they  were  starting  on  the 
first  note,  much  like  the  falling  of  bricks 
set  on  end.  Congregational  singing  was  a 
duty  with  Presbyterians.  In  his  home  the 
church-member  abstained  from  the  use  of 
musical  instruments. 

The  need  of  some  harmonic  instrumental 
support  evidently  suggested  the  use  of  the 
bass-viol.  Its  introduction  into  the  church 
met  with  vigorous  opposition,  especially  on 
the  part  of  the  ministers.  To  one  of  these 
Tories  a  singer,  wishing  to  improve  on  the 
lines  on  Dr.  Watt's  ninety-second  psalm — 

"  Oh,  let  my  heart  in  tune  be  found 
Like  David's  harp,  of  solemn  sound" — 

gravely  proposed  this  change : 

"  Oh,  may  my  heart  be  tuned  within 
Like  David's  sacred  violin  !" 

to  w^hich  the  reverend  wag  suggested  as 
amendment : 

"  Oh,  may  my  heart  go  diddle-diddle 
Like  Uncle  David's  sacred  fiddle." 
23 


MUSIC    IN    PHILADELPHIA 

The  Baptists  sang  hymns  in  their  ser- 
vices, as  did  the  German  Reformed  body, 
while  the  music  of  the  Swedes  and  of  the 
Lutherans  resembled  that  of  the  Anglican 
church. 

The  Moravians  were  noted  for  the  excel- 
lence of  the  musical  part  of  their  religious 
services.  In  the  eighteenth  century,  when 
Philadelphia  easily  surpassed  New  York  in 
musical  culture,  the  highest  musical  ac- 
tivity in  the  country  existed  in  Bethlehem, 
the  episcopal  seat  of  the  Moravians.  They 
used  in  their  services  (as  they  still  do  to- 
day), besides  the  organ,  brass  and  stringed 
instruments,  such  as  trumpets,  trombones, 
clarionets,  the  harp,  violins,  and  bass-viols. 
This  shocked  the  Friends  and  Presbyte- 
rians, to  ^vhom  the  organ  was  "a  box  of 
whistles."  In  the  Moravian  Church,  at  the 
corner  of  Race  and  Broad  Streets,  there 
w^ere  two  organs  in  1743.  The  principal  one, 
growing  old,  was  sold  in  1796,  and  its  place 
soon  supplied  by  a  new^  instrument,  made 
by  David  Tannenberg.  In  1808  still  another 
organ,  built  by  John  Schermer,  was  pur- 
chased for  $280.  The  Second  Moravian 
Church  was  furnished  in  1805  with  an  organ 
made  by  E.  W.  Scherr. 

John  Adams,  in  his  diary  in  1774,  says 
he  found  the  chanting  in  the  Catholic 
24 


EARLY    MUSIC 

Church  in  Philadelphia  "  exquisitely  soft 
and  sweet."  The  fervent  emotional  sing- 
ing of  the  newly-settled  Methodists  also 
impressed  him  deeply.  He  describes  it  as 
•'  the  finest  music  I  have  heard  in  any 
society  except  the  Moravians,  and  once  in 
a  church  with  an  organ." 

Typical  of  the  violent  opposition  to  the 
organ  in  church  is  the  remark  of  a 
preacher,  who,  asked  to  lead  in  prayer  after 
the  organ  had  been  heard  with  the  singers, 
cried  out,  **  Call  on  the  machine !  If  it  can 
sing  and  play  to  the  glory  of  God,  it  can 
pray  to  the  glory  of  God  also.  Call  on  the 
machine !" 


25 


MUSIC   IN   PHILADELPHIA 


CHAPTER  II.  EARLIEST  DRAMATIC 
ENTERTAINMENTS:  PREJUDICE 
AGAINST  THE  THEATRE:  LEGIS- 
LATION:   LOCAL   MUSICIANS 

^^Ufjgf^HK  first  stirrings  of  a  desire  for 
^    I  public  entertainment  other  than 

fl        1  cock-fights,    rope-dances,    and 

^^^^^  the  exhibition  of  monstrosities, 
^^^^  to  which  the  pious  attitude 
of  the  Friends  had  restricted  the  com- 
munity, appear  about  the  middle  of  the 
eighteenth  century.  There  are  traces  of  an 
association  "  formed  in  the  city  for  musical 
purposes,  and  also  a  dancing  assembly," 
composed,  it  is  said,  of  prominent  men, 
nearly  all  being  members  of  the  Church 
of  England.  *' Music  masters"  announce 
themselves,  who  teach  "the  violin,  haut- 
boy, common  flute,  and  dulcimer,  by  note." 
Sometimes  they  eke  out  their  nascent  trade 
by  the  more  respectable  vocation  of  draw- 
ing bonds  and  leases. 

Undoubtedly  the  earliest  dramatic  per- 
formances took  place  in  ""William  Plum- 
stead's  warehouse,  in  King  (now  "Water) 
Street,   below    Pine."     The    time    and   the 

26 


EARLY    MUSIC 

names  of  plays  and  players  are  less  certain. 
There  seems  to  have  been  a  short-lived 
attempt  in  1749,  by  the  English  actors 
Murray  and  Kean,  who  were  probably 
assisted  by  some  local  amateurs,  to  take 
a  stand  against  traditions  and  authorities. 
The  common  opinion,  however,  which  as- 
cribes to  the  Hallam  Company  of  English 
actors  the  first  ambitious  dramatic  enter- 
prise in  America  is,  in  the  main,  right,  but 
it  is  difficult  to  tell  which  particular  Hallam 
deserves  the  magnificent  title  of  "  Father 
of  the  American  stage;"  whether  W^illiam, 
the  manager,  who,  staying  at  home,  con- 
ceived and  organized  the  undertaking; 
Lew^is,  his  brother,  the  actor,  who  launched 
it  successfully ;  or  Lewis,  Jr.,  the  latter's 
son,  who,  for  full  half  a  century,  ^vas  the 
leading  actor  in  America.  The  original 
company  was  not  without  repute  in  Lon- 
don. Perhaps  they  felt  the  shadow  of  the 
coming  Garrick.  Their  plays,  well-learned 
before  embarking,  included  "The  Merchant 
of  Venice,"  "Richard  the  Third,"  "Ham- 
let," and  "Othello,"  together  with  a  num- 
ber of  pieces  of  the  day.  In  all,  the  plays 
with  the  farces,  which  invariably  followed 
the  former,  numbered  twenty-four.  Of 
these  farces,  some,  like  Cibber's  "  Hob  in 
the  W^ell,"  are  spoken  of  as  operas, — which 
27 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

can  mean  nothing  more  than  a  sprinkUng  of 
ballads  throughout  the  play. 

After  a  successful  season  in  Williams- 
burg, Virginia,  where  the  company  opened 
with  "The  Merchant  of  Venice,"  on  Sep- 
tember 5,  1752,  and  another  in  New  York, 
Lewis  Hallam  procured,  with  the  assistance 
of  many  petitioners  from  Philadelphia,  op- 
posed by  an  almost  equal  number,  permis- 
sion from  Governor  Hamilton,  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, to  act  twenty-four  plays  and  farces, 
not  without  strict  provision  against  any- 
thing "indecent  or  immoral."  The  per- 
mission seems  to  have  been  sought  from 
a  general  foreboding  of  difficulties  rather 
than  from  knowledge  of  actual  legal  re- 
striction. Perhaps  it  was  granted  because 
it  could  not  lawfully  have  been  withheld. 
The  season  began  on  April  25,  1754,  in 
the  warehouse  on  Water  Street,  described 
above,  with  the  play,  "The  Fair  Penitent," 
followed  by  "Miss  in  her  Teens."  The 
play  nights  were  Mondays,  W^ednesdays, 
and  Fridays.  The  ladies  sent  their  negro 
servants  to  keep  their  places  from  four 
o'clock  until  six,  when  the  curtain  rose,  or 
until  their  mistresses  came.  The  strife 
raged  fiercely.  The  champions,  it  seems, 
were  chiefly  of  the  members  of  the  Church 
of  England;  the  opponents  were  mainly 
28 


EARLY    MUSIC 

Presbyterians  and  Quakers.  In  two  papers 
— Franklin's  "  Pennsylvania  Gazette,"  and 
Bradford's  "Pennsylvania  Journal" —  one 
"A.  B."  attacked  the  stage  generally.  He 
was  answered  the  folloTving  week  by  "  Y. 
Z."  in  Franklin's  "Gazette."  Play-bills, 
advertisements,  prologues,  and  epilogues 
(which  were  never  omitted),  all  betray  the 
state  of  feeling  in  their  apologetic  tone.  On 
May  27,  1754,  at  the  "  New  Theatre  in 
\A^ater  Street,"  the  after-piece  was  a  "bal- 
lad opera,"  called  "The  Country  'Wake," 
or,  "  Hob  in  the  "Well,"  which  was,  of 
course,  no  more  than  a  farce,  with  songs 
interspersed. 

The  company  disappeared  for  a  number 
of  years.  On  returning  to  Philadelphia, 
Douglass,  who  had  succeeded  Lewis  Hal- 
lam  as  manager  at  the  latter's  death,  erected 
a  frame  building  at  the  southw^est  corner  of 
South  and  Vernon  Streets,  in  a  region 
called  Society  Hill.  The  theatre  was  just 
outside  of  the  city  limits  in  Southwark. 
W^e  are  told  that  it  cost  "  upw^ards  of  £"300." 
The  contest  against  the  imported  corruption 
w^as  steadily  maintained.  Laws  against 
plays  were  regularly  passed  in  the  colonies, 
and  rejected  by  the  council  in  England.  It 
was  not  without  true  courage  that  Judge 
Allen,  petitioned  for  an  injunction  to  re- 
29 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

strain  the  players,  refused,  saying  that  he 
had  received  "  more  moral  virtue  from  plays 
than  sermons." 

A  second  theatre  was  built  in  Southwark 
in  1766,  on  South  Street,  between  Fourth 
and  Fifth,  at  the  corner  of  a  small  street 
since  called  Apollo.  This  was  long  known 
as  the  "Old  South  Street  Theatre."  The 
company,  of  which  the  young  Lewis  Hal- 
lam  was  no^v  the  leading  member,  is  from 
this  time  called  "  The  American  Company." 

Much  importance  is  given  by  some  chron- 
iclers to  the  performance,  by  Hallam's 
Company  at  the  New  Theatre  on  Society 
Hill  in  1759,  of  "Theodosius,"  as  the  first 
attempt  at  opera,  followed  soon  after  by 
Gay's  "Beggar  Opera."  These  representa- 
tions, v/ithout  the  slightest  claim  to  serious 
musical  standard,  show  the  gradual  growth 
of  a  musical  desire.  Of  similar  significance 
is  a  performance  of  Arne's  "  Masque  of 
Alfred,"  in  1757,  by  the  students  of  the 
College  of  Philadelphia.  "  Several  young 
ladies,"  it  is  reported,  "condescended  to 
sing  the  songs." 

Another  occasion  when  amateurs  ap- 
peared in  public  was  "an  interlude  of  con- 
cert music,"  in  December,  1759,  performed 
by  "some  gentlemen  of  the  city,"  for  the 
purpose  of  "  purchasing  an  organ  for  the 
30 


EARLY   MUSIC 

College  Hall  in  this  city,  and  instructing  the 
college  children  in  psalmody."  A  "concert 
of  musical  glasses,"  in  1765,  was  a  success. 
The  singers  were  of  Douglass'  Company, 
of  which  the  members,  we  are  told,  "con- 
tributed not  a  little  to  increase  the  taste  for 
music." 

An  announcement  in  the  "  Pennsylvania 
Journal,"  in  the  fall  of  1764,  reads:  "Sub- 
scription Concert  at  the  Assembly  Room, 
Lodge  Alley,  begins  on  Thursday,  the  8th 
of  November  next,  to  continue  every  other 
Thursday  till  the  14th  of  March  following. 
Each  subscriber  on  paying  three  pounds  to 
be  entitled  to  two  Ladies'  tickets  for  the 
season.  The  concert  to  begin  precisely  at 
six  o'clock  in  the  evening.  Tickets  to  be 
had  at  the  bar  of  the  London  Coffee  House." 

Another  concert,  given  in  1764,  was  thus 
advertised : 

"  For  the  benefit  of  Mr.  Forage  and 
others,  assistant  performers  at  the  Sub- 
scription Concerts  in  this  city,  on  Monday, 
31st  instant,  at  the  Assembly  Room,  on 
Lodge  Alley,  will  be  performed 

A  Concert  of  Music, 
consisting  of  a  variety  of  the  most  cele- 
brated pieces  now  in  taste,  in  which  will 
be  introduced  the  famous  Armonica  or 
Musical  glasses,  so  much  admired  for  the 
31 


MUSIC    IN    PHILADELPHIA 

great  Sweetness  and  Delicacy  of  its  tone. 
Tickets  at  7/6  each,  to  be  had  at  the  bar  of 
the  London  Coffee  House.  No  person  to  be 
admitted  without  a  Ticket.  The  concert  to 
begin  at  six  o'clock  precisely." 

So  in  1770,  Signor  Gualdo  announces  "a 
concert  of  vocal  and  instrumental  music, 
solos  and  concertos  in  various  instruments, 
the  favorite  mandolin  not  excepted." 

During  most  of  the  time  the  American 
Company,  which  seemed  to  be  the  sole 
source  of  dramatic  entertainment,  was  play- 
ing at  the  Southwark  Theatre,  with  inter- 
vals of  absences  in  New  York  and  in 
smaller  cities.  The  fanatical  spirit  still 
prevailed.  But  it  does  not  seem  to  have 
extended  to  music.  On  the  contrary,  re- 
strictions against  plays  were  commonly 
avoided  under  the  disguise  of  "concerts." 

On  March  22,  1770,  Milton's  masque 
"  Comus"  was  given  by  the  Hallam  Com- 
pany. 1773  was  probably  their  last  season 
of  plays.  The  Continental  Congress  in  1774 
passed  a  resolution  *'  discouraging  every 
species  of  extravagance  and  dissipation, 
especially  horse-racing,  and  all  kinds  of 
gaming,  cock-fighting,  exhibitions  of  shows, 
plays,  and  other  expensive  diversions  and 
entertainments."  The  course  of  political 
events  tended  greatly  to  help  the  side  of  the 
3a 


EARLY    MUSIC 

purists.  A  growing  political  independence 
gave  greater  weight  to  the  resolutions  of 
public  bodies ;  the  sense  of  the  coming 
stress,  of  the  necessity  of  concentrated 
effort,  left  little  spirit  or  resources  for  public 
amusements.  The  only  break  in  the  long 
absence  of  gayety  was  a  season  of  amateur 
drama  by  the  British  officers  under  General 
Howe,  who  occupied  Philadelphia  during 
the  winters  of  1777-78.  Their  forcible  pos- 
session of  city  and  play-house  did  not  pre- 
vent an  appreciative  reception  on  the  part 
of  many  of  the  citizens.  A  somewhat 
ironical  stroke  of  fate,  connected  with  this 
chapter  of  Philadelphia  history,  is  the  story 
that  a  drop-scene,  painted  by  the  unfortu- 
nate Major  Andre'  for  the  military  actors, 
was  actually  used  some  twenty  years  later 
as  the  scene  of  his  own  capture  in  a  play 
written  on  the  subject. 

On  the  i2th  of  October,  1778,  Congress 
found  it  necessary  to  recommend  that  the 
several  States  pass  laws  to  prevent  theatri- 
cal entertainments,  "and  such  other  diver- 
sions as  are  productive  of  idleness."  Direct 
penalty  of  dismissal  was  enacted  against 
United  States  officials  w^ho  encouraged 
plays.  The  preamble  shows  that  the 
reason  was  a  temporary  one,  the  need  of 
concentration     on    the     common     defence. 

c  33 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

W^hile  there  was  no  actual  prohibition,  yet 
players  were  almost  as  much  in  awe  of 
public  opinion  as  of  the  law  itself.  This 
state  lasted  for  years  after  the  war  had 
ended.  Not  until  1790  was  there  a  regular, 
frankly  announced  season  of  drama,  again 
by  the  American  Company  at  the  South- 
Avark  Theatre.  But  throughout  the  period 
there  are  quaint  evasions  of  the  law  (real  or 
supposed),  yet  with  shamefaced  apologies. 

On  March  12,  1785,  Hallam  opened  the 
Southw^ark  with  "  Lectures,  moral  and  en- 
tertaining." Durang  tells  us  that  they 
"  consisted  of  scenes  out  of  plays,  scraps  of 
pantomimes,  dancing,  and  singing."*  The 
'*  Pennsylvania  Mercury"  approved.  There 
was  a  series  of  curious  miscellaneous  "  at- 
tractions." A  puppet  "opera,"  "The  Poor 
Soldier,"  with  the  singers  behind  the 
scenes,  was  a  great  success  in  1787.  Better 
than  description  is  the  bill  for  June  23,  1787, 
which  reads : 

SPECTACULUM  VIT^ffi 

At  the  Opera  House, 

Southwark, 

For  the  Relief  of  our  Fellow  Citizens 

Enslaved  at 

ALGIERS. 

*  Durang's  History  of  the  Philadelphia  Stage. 
34 


EARLY    MUSIC 

On  Monday  next 

Will  be  performed 

A  CONCERT, 

Vocal  and  Instrumental, 

In  the  first  part  of  which  will  be  introduced 

THE   GRATEFUL   WARD; 

Or,  The  Pupil  in  Love. 
And  in  the  second  part  will  be  presented  the  Musical 
Entertainment  of  the 

POOR   SOLDIER, 
■with    the    original    overture,    accompaniment,    songs, 
and  new  scenery. 

A  poetical  address,  composed  for  the  occasion,  will 
be  delivered  at  the  opening  of  the  entertainment,  and 
the  whole  will  conclude  with  an  elegant 
VAUD-VILLE. 
N.B. — The  managers  of  this  entertainment,  solici- 
tious  of  contributing  towards  the  relief  of  the  unfortu- 
nate American  captives  in  Algiers,  have  cheerfully 
complied  with  the  request  of  many  respectable  citizens 
upon  this  occasion,  and  having  diligently  endeavored 
to  render  the  Opera  House  as  cool  as  commodious, 
they  purpose  stopping  a  fortnight  in  this  city,  on  their 
way  to  Baltimore.  During  this  short  stay  they  hope 
to  merit  and  receive  the  patronage  and  appreciation  of 
the  public. 

The  doors  will  be  opened  at  half-past  six  o'clock, 
and  the  concert  to  begin  precisely  at  half-past  seven. 

.  .  .  Ladies  and  gentlemen  are  requested  to  send 
their  servants  in  time  to  keep  their  boxes.  Box,  7s. 
6d. ;  Pit,  5s. ;  Gallery,  3s.  gd. 

So  a  play — "The  Gamester" — is  thus  an- 
35 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

nounced:  "Between  the  parts  of  the  con- 
cert will  be  presented  a  serious  and  moral 
lecture  in  five  parts,  on  the  sin  of  gambling, 
at  the  request  of  several  ladies  and  gentle- 
men." Hamlet  was  a  "moral  and  instruc- 
tive tale,  .  .  .  introduced  between  the  parts 
of  the  concert,  .  .  .  called  Filial  Piety 
Exemplified  in  the  History  of  the  Prince  of 
Denmark." 

A  genuine  "  Grand  Concert  of  Sacred 
Song"  was  given  on  May  4,  1786,  at  the 
Reformed  German  Church,  on  Race  Street, 
for  the  benefit  of  the  Pennsylvania  Hospi- 
tal, Philadelphia  Dispensary,  and  the  Poor." 

Among  the  numbers  in  the  "  order  of 
music"  are:  "Martini's  celebrated  over- 
ture," a  flute  and  a  violin  concerto,  both  by 
obscure  Miltons,  five  anthems,  and,  at  the 
close,  Handel's  Hallelujah  Chorus  from 
the  "  Messiah."  One  of  the  anthem  com- 
posers, W.  Billings,  of  Boston,  seems  to 
have  been  of  much  importance.  He  is 
often  called  "the  first  American  composer." 

The  prohibition  of  theatres,  together  with 
the  energetic  management  of  a  Mr.  Adgate, 
with  a  chorus  of  two  hundred  and  thirty 
voices,  and  a  band  of  fifty  instruments, 
united  to  make  it  successful  and  eventful. 

In  Washington's  diary  he  mentions  at- 
tending, during  the  Constitutional  Conven- 
36 


EARLY   MUSIC 

tion,  a  benefit  concert  for  Mr.  Juhan,  at  the 
City  Tavern,  on  May  29,  1787.  Again  there 
is  the  grand  overture  of  Martini,  and  a 
sonata  by  Haydn,  quite  significant  of  im- 
proved taste.  It  must  have  been  a  sonata 
for  violin  and  piano,  played  on  the  harpsi- 
chord. Besides  the  real  music,  there  is 
always  a  plentiful  display  of  "overtures" 
and  "concertos"  by  the  local  geniuses. 
Among  the  Juhans,  Reinagles,  and  Browns, 
there  is  scant  room  for  a  Haydn.  This 
was  partly  due  to  the  old  tradition  that  a 
musician  must  be  a  composer,  partly  to  the 
difficulty  of  procuring  the  great  musical 
works.  W^e  must  content  ourselves  with 
wondering  whether  the  audience  perceived 
the  difference  between  Haydn  and  Reinagle. 
In  justice  much  is  owed  to  the  pioneers 
who  were  guiding  the  public  in  the  right 
way,  in  the  days  when  there  were  no  ac- 
knowledged "Masters." 

Again,  w^e  have  evidence  that  the  illustri- 
ous Father  of  his  Country  bowed  to  the 
humanizing  influence  of  the  stage.  This 
was  at  the  Southwark  Theatre,  where 
Washington  attended  three  performances. 
In  his  diary  it  is  recorded  that,  to  mitigate 
the  exactions  of  the  Constitutional  Conven- 
tion, on  the  loth  of  July  he  witnesses 
"High  Life  below^  Stairs,"  and  the  second 

37 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

act  of  the  "  Poor  Soldier."  This  must  have 
been  the  first  time  Washington  ever  saw 
O'Keefe's  comedy;  but  it  continued  to  be 
a  favorite  with  him.  On  the  14th  instant 
he  again  attended  the  play.  This  time 
it  was  a  production  of  Dryden's  version 
of  the  "Tempest,"  and  the  interlude  of 
"Neptune  and  Amphitrite."  Finally,  on 
the  2ist  of  the  same  month,  he  enjoys 
Thomson's  prohibited  tragedy,  "  Edward 
and  Eleonora." 

From  this  time  on  there  is  besides 
"operas  and  musical  pieces"  at  the  South- 
wark,  a  new  series  of  musical  entertain- 
ment at  Harrowgate  Garden,  near  Frank- 
ford. 

In  1796  concerts  and  exhibitions  were 
given  in  Andrew  Hamilton's  Mansion, 
Bush  Hill,  under  the  direction  of  John 
Darley,  from  Birmingham,  England,  who 
owned  the  mansion ;  but  the  enterprise  was 
not  successful.  Bush  Hill  was  built  by 
Andrew  Hamilton,  who  died  in  1741,  a  year 
after  it  was  completed.  It  stood  on  the 
north  side  of  w^hat  is  now  Buttonwood 
Street,  between  Seventeenth  and  Eigh- 
teenth Streets.  It  was  burned  in  1808. 
From  it  Hamilton  Street  derives  its  name. 

There    was    also    a    Northern    Liberties 
Theatre  opened  in  1791. 
38 


EARLY   MUSIC 

A  new  epoch  begins  with  the  erection  of 
the  Chestnut  Street  Theatre,  near  Sixth. 
It  must  have  been  of  architectural  merit. 
It  is  described  as  presenting  "  a  handsome 
front  on  Chestnut  Street  of  ninety  feet,  in- 
cluding two  wings  of  fifteen  feet.  The 
centre  building  is  ornamented  with  two 
spirited  and  well-executed  figures  of 
Tragedy  and  Comedy,  on  each  side  of  the 
great  Venetian  window,  over  which,  in  two 
circular  tablets,  are  emblematical  insignia." 
It  was  said  to  have  been  modelled  from  the 
Bath  Theatre  in  England.  To  test  the 
qualities  of  the  new  house,  the  managers 
gave,  in  April,  1793,  a  "  grand  concert  of 
vocal  and  instrumental  music."  The  first 
dramatic  performance  (delayed  by  the 
yellow-fever  epidemic)  in  February,  1794, 
was  of  the  English  "opera"  "The  Castle 
of  Andalusia,"  followed  by  a  farce.  All  the 
appointments  of  the  house  and  of  the  com- 
pany were  of  the  highest  standard  then 
known.  Reinagle  was  evidently  the  chief 
musical  figure  of  the  day.  The  leader  of 
the  orchestra  was  George  Gillingham,  "the 
celebrated  violinist  from  London,"  under 
whom,  we  are  told,  there  were  "  about 
t"wenty  accomplished  musicians,"  who  were 
"  deemed  equal  in  general  ability  with  the 
stage  artists."  The  criticism  of  a  contem- 
39 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

porary  has  an  unconscious  value,  especially 
when  it  is  considered  that  the  operas  were 
merely  connected  plays  w^ith  familiar  songs 
set  here  and  there.  Our  critic  gently  dis- 
approves the  tendency  of  the  managers 
to  push  the  operatic  entertainments  at  the 
expense  of  tragedy  and  comedy.  "  The 
country,"  he  adds,  "at  that  period  had  not 
made  any  advances  in  the  more  scientific 
music  of  the  lyrical  style,  however  au  fait 
in  judgment  our  audience  was  in  the  regular 
drama.  Music  of  an  elevated  character,  to 
be  properly  appreciated,  must  have  ade- 
quate judges,  which  only  old  and  refined 
nations  can  furnish  in  sufficient  numbers 
to  support  so  expensive  an  institution  as 
opera."  * 

So,  on  the  performance  of  "Robin  Hood" 
in  1794,  he  says,  "  The  day  had  not  arrived 
for  operatic  speculations.  Music  is  only 
now  (1850)  progressing  with  us  to  a  just 
appreciation,  induced  by  the  more  elevated 
compositions  of  the  Italian  school."  He 
speaks  doubtfully  of  the  distant  prospect 
of  "a  just  musical  taste."  His  only  hope 
is  in  Italian  influence. 

It  is  clear  that  the  taste  of  the  day  re- 
flected  faintly  that  of  London.     The   only 

*  Durang's  "  History  of  the  Philadelphia  Stage." 
40 


EARLY    MUSIC 

music  that  really  appealed  to  public  taste 
was  that  of  English  ballads,  introduced  in 
English  operas.  There  was,  besides,  an  in- 
cipient appreciation  of  some  of  the  Ger- 
man masters,  like  Handel  and  Haydn,  w^ho 
had  visited  England,  and  had  succeeded, 
by  careful  wooing,  in  conquering  English 
recognition.  The  way  to  which  the  worthy 
critic  points  as  the  ideal  was,  in  reality,  a 
backward  step.  It  was  the  overwhelming 
triumph  of  the  superficial  Italian  school, 
checking  the  study  of  the  great  German 
classics,  w^hich  must  account  for  a  certain 
chronic  lack  of  seriousness  in  our  musical 
life.  That  early  period,  when  the  German 
masters  -were  introduced  and  studied  before 
their  greatness  was  blazoned  abroad,  is  one 
to  which  we  can  look  with  most  pride, 
wishing  it  might  have  continued  and 
averted  a  later  degeneration. 

Probably  as  the  first  performance  of 
oratorio,  Handel's  "  Messiah"  was  given 
in  1801  in  the  hall  of  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania.  The  soloists  were  recruited 
from  the  Chestnut  Street  Theatre.  Among 
them  were  Mrs.  Oldmixon,  one  of  the  lead- 
ing members,  who  was  the  first  to  sing 
the  "  Blue  Bells  of  Scotland"  in  Philadel- 
phia. Her  husband.  Sir  John  Oldmixon, 
performed  on  the  violin.  Later,  Mrs.  Old- 
41 


MUSIC    IN    PHILADELPHIA 

mixon  kept  a  ladies'  seminary  at  German- 
town.  A  similar  concert  in  1810  seems  to 
have  been  long  considered  a  famous  occa- 
sion. ^Vhile  no  entire  choral  work  was 
sung,  the  programme  consisting  of  certain 
numbers  from  Handel's  "Messiah"  and 
from  Haydn's  "Creation,"  the  magnitude  of 
the  preparations,  the  size  of  the  orchestra, 
the  number  of  prominent  musicians  who 
took  part,  mark  it  as  the  result  of  the  united 
musical  aspirations  and  efforts  of  the  time. 
"We  are  told  that  "thirty-four  ladies  and 
gentlemen  sang  in  the  principal  parts  and 
chorus.  The  orchestra  was  exceedingly 
strong,  much  beyond  the  usual  number  of 
the  orchestras  of  that  time."  Besides 
twenty-one  violins  and  a  corresponding 
proportion  of  larger  strings,  there  was  the 
extraordinary  number  of  four  clarionets  and 
six  flutes. 

Among  the  names  of  the  leaders  are 
some  that  are  still  spoken  of  with  en- 
thusiasm. Above  all,  the  personality  of 
Benjamin  Carr  stands  out  as  one  who,  of 
all  the  early  musicians  of  Philadelphia, 
wrought  most  vigorously  to  introduce  the 
best,  chiefly  in  the  oratorio  and  in  the 
church.  An  Englishman  of  breeding  and 
education,  he  was  of  a  type  in  which  Phila- 
delphia has  been  fortunately  rich.  Carr  and 
4* 


EARLY   MUSIC 

Schetky  had  a  music-store  on  Fifth  Street 
before  1800. 

Raynor  Taylor  was  an  organist  who 
seems  to  have  been  very  prominent.  Vaux- 
hall  Garden,  on  the  northeast  corner  of 
Broad  and  Walnut  Streets,  was  opened  for 
concerts  and  other  entertainments  in  May, 
1814.  On  one  of  the  programmes  it  is 
promised  "that  the  temple  and  garden  w^ill 
be  brilliantly  illuminated  with  variegated 
lamps.  Admission,  $1.  .  .  .  Smoking  is 
not  permitted  in  or  near  the  temple." 
Taylor  was  organist  on  the  opening  night. 
Gillingham  w^as  the  regular  conductor.  On 
one  programme  Taylor  appears  twice  as 
composer  and  Gillingham  once.  The  only 
familiar  names  are  Pleyel  and  Kreutzer. 
Most  of  the  numbers  are  patriotic  songs, 
overtures,  and  grand  marches ;  the  finale 
is  "The  Columbian's  March  to  Glory," 
written  by  a  gentleman  of  Philadelphia. 
The  garden  was  the  great  resort ;  one  of 
the  round  of  entertainments  at  Lafayette's 
second  visit  in  1825  was  held  there. 

Besides  the  members  of  the  Chestnut 
Street  Theatre  Company,  who  were  con- 
stantly in  demand  for  public  singing,  there 
^vere  prominent  concert  musicians  at  that 
time,  such  as  Charles  P.  Hupfeld,  a  vio- 
linist, and  Francis  Blondan,  a  flutist. 

43 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

A  musical  organization  of  small  preten- 
sions but  of  very  considerable  celebrity  was 
Johnson's  Band,  which  came  into  notice 
about  1815.  It  was  organized  and  led  by 
Francis  Johnson,  a  colored  man.  In  his 
early  career  he  played  the  trumpet ;  but 
later  he  performed  on  the  Kent  bugle,  which 
at  that  time  became  very  popular.  At  this 
instrument  he  was  considered  the  equal  of 
Willis,  the  leader  of  the  band  at  the  West 
Point  Military  Academy.  Willis's  reputa- 
tion was  very  high. 

In  spite  of  race  prejudice,  Johnson  man- 
aged, by  musical  talent  and  natural  ability, 
together  with  a  strong  personal  tact,  to 
make  himself  a  notability  in  his  line. 
W^ithout  aspirations  for  classic  music,  he 
had  an  excellent  ear  for  melody  and  a 
facility  for  preparing  military  music  and  for 
changing  popular  airs.  He  could  turn  the 
most  melancholy  refrain  into  a  cotillon. 
He  also  wrote  many  original  marches  and 
dances,  and  had  some  ingenuity  in  inventing 
quadrille  music  w^ith  novel  features.  One 
of  them  w^as  the  "voice  quadrilles,"  in 
which  the  band  suddenly  burst  forth  singing 
in  chorus.  He  called  around  him  a  number 
of  men  of  his  own  color,  who  were  self- 
taught  but  competent  players.  Johnson's 
sphere  lay  chiefly  in  military  music  and  in 
44 


EARLY    MUSIC 

the  ball-room  ;  for  many  years  his  band  was 
the  only  one  employed  on  parade  by  the 
State  Fencibles,  and  was  in  great  demand 
for  fashionable  dances.  In  1825  and  during 
many  subsequent  years  it  was  a  recognized 
attraction  at  Saratoga.  It  furnished  the 
music  at  the  Lafayette  reception  ball  in 
1824  at  the  Chestnut  Street  Theatre,  for 
which  occasion  Johnson  wrote  special  num- 
bers. In  1837,  Johnson  visited  Europe  with 
his  band,  and  performed,  it  is  said,  to  royal 
audiences.  But  during  a  visit  of  the  Fen- 
cibles to  Boston  the  band  was  not  allowed 
to  play  in  Providence,  Rhode  Island,  on 
account  of  their  color. 


45 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 


CHAPTER  III.  INSTRUMENTS: 
FIRST  PIANO-FORTE:  BENJAMIN 
FRANKLIN:  MUSICAL  GLASSES: 
EMINENT    MUSICIANS:    SOCIETIES. 

^^'BT'N  a  recently  published  life  of  La- 
^H I        fayette  there  is  the  recorded  im- 

■  I        pression  of  a  French  nobleman, 

■  I        the  Marquis  de  Chastellux,  of  a 

■  B  musical  afternoon.  It  gives  a 
glimpse  of  the  principal  musical  instru- 
ments of  a  Philadelphia  household  in  1780. 
The  Marquis  and  Lafayette  went  to  take 
tea  at  Mrs.  Shippen's.  "This  is  the  first 
time  since  my  arrival  in  America  that  I 
have  seen  music  appear  in  society,  and 
mingle  with  amusements.  Miss  Rutledge 
played  on  the  harpsichord,  and  played  very 
well.  Miss  Shippen  sang  timidly,  but  had 
an  attractive  voice.  Mr.  Ottaw,  secretary 
to  the  Chevalier  de  la  Luzerne,  had  his 
harp  brought,  accompanied  Miss  Shippen, 
and  also  played  some  pieces.  Music  natu- 
rally leads  to  dancing ;  the  Vicomte  de 
Noailles  strung  some  harp-strings  on  a 
violin,  and  then  played  for  the  young  people 
to  dance,  while  the  mothers  and  other  grave 
persons  conversed  in  another  room."     The 

46 


EARLY    MUSIC 

Marquis  does  not  miss  the  piano-forte, 
which  had  been  first  manufactured  in 
Europe  about  the  middle  of  the  century. 
Even  in  Philadelphia  they  -were  then 
known.  The  first  piano  in  America  was 
made  by  John  Behrent,  on  Third  Street 
below^  Brown.  He  advertised  in  1775  that 
he  had  "just  finished  an  extraordinary  in- 
strument, by  the  name  of  the  Piano-Forte, 
made  of  mahogany,  being  of  the  nature  of 
a  Harpsichord,  with  hammers  and  several 
changes."  Other  makers  follo'wed.  Promi- 
nent ^vas  Charles  Taws,  a  Scotchman,  next 
the  corner  of  Third  and  Union  Streets, 
where  he  began  manufacturing  about  1787. 
But  the  most  important  of  all  was  an 
Englishman,  Thomas  Loud  Evenden,  who 
came  to  the  city  about  1810,  and  manu- 
factured piano-fortes,  in  partnership  with 
Joshua  Baker,  at  130  Vine  Street.  Later  he 
carried  on  business  on  Fifth  Street,  where 
his  son  and  namesake,  of  whom  we  shall 
hear  more,  taught  piano-playing.  They 
seemed  to  have  first  found  the  advertising 
key-note  of  later  piano-makers.  In  1816 
they  advertised  that  they  "furnished  pianos 
much  better  in  workmanship  than  even  the 
London  pianos."  They  "confidently  chal- 
lenged any  huckster  in  the  city  who  had 
the  arrogance  to  call  himself  an  importer 
47 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

to  disprove  the  assertion."  A  few  years 
afterwards,  for  some  reason,  the  members 
of  the  Evenden  family  dropped  the  final 
name.  Loud's  pianos  became  very  popular. 
Thomas  Loud,  the  younger,  was  one  of  the 
principal  musicians  of  Philadelphia. 

Before  we  leave  the  eighteenth  century 
and  its  instruments,  w^e  must  not  omit  an 
episode,  which,  by  curious  chance,  con- 
nects our  history  at  once  with  Philadel- 
phia's tutelary  personage  and  w^ith  one  of 
the  great  English  prose-writers.  Arm- 
strong, in  his  "  Record  of  the  Opera," 
makes  mention  of  Benjamin  Franklin  as 
one  of  the  earliest  amateur  musicians  in 
Philadelphia.  "  He  is  accredited  with  the 
invention  of  the  Harmonica  or  Musical 
Glasses.  He  certainly  made  them  avail- 
able." The  story  is  that  Franklin  concealed 
his  harmonica  from  his  wife  until  it  was  fit 
to  play,  and  then  -woke  her  with  it  one 
night,  when  she  thought  it  w^as  the  music 
of  angels.  These  musical  glasses,  played 
on  with  moistened  fingers,  were  a  favorite 
musical  toy  at  one  time.  They  were  never 
more  than  a  curiosity.  The  construction  of 
Franklin's  glasses  is  described  in  his  letters. 
Franklin  also  played  the  guitar.  Leigh 
Hunt,  in  his  autobiography,  writes  of  his 
mother,  who  was  the  daughter  of  Stephen 
48 


EARLY    MUSIC 

Shewell,  a  merchant  of  Philadelphia,  and 
"a  vehement  man  both  in  public  and  in 
family  matters."  Franklin  and  Thomas 
Paine  visited  at  the  She  wells'.  "  My 
mother,"  Leigh  Hunt  writes,  "had  no  ac- 
complishments but  the  two  best  of  all — 
a  love  of  nature  and  of  books.  Dr.  Franklin 
offered  to  teach  her  the  guitar,  but  she 
w^as  too  bashful  to  become  his  pupil.  She 
regretted  this  afterward,  partly,  no  doubt, 
for  having  missed  so  illustrious  a  master. 
Her  first  child,  who  died,  was  named  after 
him."  He  then  tells  the  story  of  Franklin's 
harmonica. 

Most  of  the  leading  men  in  music  had 
come  from  Great  Britain.  Generally  they 
settled  first  into  the  more  purely  com- 
mercial lines  of  manufacture  and  publishing. 
Probably  the  first  music-store  in  the  city 
was  Benjamin  Carr's  "  Music  Repository." 
Carr  stands  out  as  the  most  vigorous  force 
for  the  best  musical  culture  in  his  day.  In 
his  circle  were  men  like  George  Schetky, 
Charles  P.  Hupfeld,  and  Raynor  Taylor. 
Coming  to  Philadelphia  in  1793,  after  a 
thorough  musical  education  under  the  first 
church-musicians  in  England,  a  man  of 
breeding  and  of  broad  culture,  joining  his 
efforts  with  those  of  Hupfeld,  who  brought 
the  best   German  traditions  in   early  boy- 

d  49 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

hood,  Carr  and  his  group  started  the  move- 
ment which  gave  to  Philadelphia  so  striking 
a  musical  development  in  those  days,  when 
both  the  country  and  the  art  were  in  their 
infancy.  The  impression  which  he  made 
upon  his  associates  is  proven  by  the  monu- 
ment erected  in  St.  Peter's  Church.  The 
inscription  speaks  far  more  directly  than  the 
customary  language  of  colleagues, — 

BENJAMIN    CARR, 

A   DISTINGUISHED   PROFESSOR  OF  MUSIC, 

DIED    MAY  34,  1831,  AGED   62   YEARS. 

CHARITABLE,   WITHOUT   OSTENTATION, 

FAITHFUL  AND  TRUE  IN   HIS   FRIENDSHIPS, 

WITH   THE  INTELLIGENCE  OF   A   MAN 

HE  UNITED  THE  SIMPLICITY  OF  A  CHILD. 

IN  TESTIMONY  OF  THE  HIGH   ESTEEM   IN  WHICH   HE 

WAS   HELD,  THIS   MONUMENT   IS   ERECTED   BY 

HIS   FRIENDS   AND   ASSOCIATES  OF  THE 

MUSICAL  FUND   SOCIETY 

OF  PHILADELPHIA. 

The  monument  was  designed  by  "William 
Strickland,  and  executed  by  "William 
Struthers.  The  first  portrait  for  the  So- 
ciety, that  of  Mr.  Carr,  was  painted  by 
J.  C.  Darley  in  1831.  Of  his  activity  out- 
side of  his  sphere  in  the  church-service,  in 
which  he  was  pre-eminent,  we  shall  speak 
later. 

Hupfeld,  who  came  from  another  region 
50 


EARLY   MUSIC 

of  Europe,  brought  his  stimulating  tradi- 
tions from  a  different  quarter  of  the  field 
of  music.  He  it  was  who  inspired  his 
friends,  both  amateur  and  professional,  with 
the  delights  of  string-quartette  practice, 
that  ideal  form  of  German  home  music 
■which  seems  to  typify  the  simple  geniality 
of  German  family-life.  These  meetings  of 
Hupfeld's  friends  were  undoubtedly  the 
direct  cause  of  the  successful  organization 
which  followed. 

Thomas  Loud  has  been  mentioned.  He 
came  to  Philadelphia  in  i8i2,  and  finished 
his  musical  apprenticeship  under  a  distin- 
guished teacher,  George  Pfeffer.  It  is  told 
that  a  rivalry  arose  between  teacher  and 
pupil,  and  a  public  trial  of  skill  on  the  piano 
was  arranged.  Each  performer  w^as  to 
select  his  piece,  Mr.  Loud  played  so  finely 
that  his  reputation  was  at  once  established. 
His  principal  field  of  activity,  besides  organ- 
playing,  was  the  conducting  of  choruses. 

The  Nestor  of  this  group  was  Raynor 
Taylor.  Although  associated  with  the 
stage  of  English  opera  and  of  even  lighter 
programmes,  he  seems  to  have  taken  a 
prominent  position  upon  his  arrival  in 
Philadelphia  in  1793,  when  he  was  not  far 
from  fifty  years  old.  A  monument  in  St. 
Peter's  church-yard  tells  us  that  he  was 
SI 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

"  many  years  organist  at  St.  Peter's 
Church."  An  anecdote  of  his  boyhood 
links  us  with  one  of  the  patriarchs  of  the 
art.  He  used  to  relate  that  when  he  was 
choir-boy  at  the  King's  Chapel  (1749-1760), 
he  attended  Handel's  funeral  (April  27, 
1759),  and  that  "  on  this  solemn  and  mem- 
orable occasion  his  hat  accidentally  fell  into 
the  grave  and  was  buried  with  the  remains 
of  that  wonderful  composer."  "  Never 
mind,"  said  some  one  to  whom  he  told  the 
story,  "he  left  you  some  of  his  brains  in 
return."  All  of  which  would  certainly  be 
a  more  striking  story  if  Taylor  had  chanced 
to  be  a  Mendelssohn. 

The  youngest  of  the  group,  who  is  still 
well  remembered,  thus  completes  a  long 
line  of  musical  traditions.  Benjamin  Cross 
was  born  in  Philadelphia  in  1786,  of  Scotch 
descent.  A  graduate  of  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania,  he  chose  his  profession 
against  the  original  wishes  of  his  parents, 
who  wanted  him  to  study  medicine.  His 
musical  teachers  and  close  associates  were 
Raynor  Taylor  and  Benjamin  Carr.  Cross 
transmitted  from  these  men  their  traditions 
of  musicianship  and  manhood.  His  sphere 
was  a  broad  one.  He  is  said  to  have  sung 
with  distinguished  success  the  barytone  part 
in  the  oratorios  of  Handel  and  of  Haydn. 
5* 


EARLY   MUSIC 

He  taught  singing  and  piano-playing  with 
striking  results.  But,  above  all,  the  monu- 
ment in  the  minutes  of  the  Society,  whose 
history  we  shall  presently  follow,  speaks  of 
his  work  as  vocal  conductor.  It  acknow^l- 
edges  to  him  a  peculiar  debt  for  the  founda- 
tion of  the  prosperity  and  usefulness  of  that 
famous  Society.  His  portrait  was  painted 
for  the  Society  by  Thomas  Sully  in  1861. 

V/e  have  made  passing  mention  of  George 
Schetky,  a  Scotchman,  who  deserves  em- 
phasis as  an  equal  factor  in  the  work  of 
organizing  the  musical  forces  of  Philadel- 
phia early  in  the  new  century.  He  came 
as  a  boy  in  1792,  to  live  with  his  uncle, 
Alexander  Reinagle,  but  he  returned  home 
after  a  short  stay.  On  his  second  arrival 
he  soon  achieved  high  standing  as  a  "  pro- 
fessor of  music."  Of  the  seminaries  in 
which  he  taught,  perhaps  the  most  im- 
portant was  that  of  Madame  Rivardi,  in 
the  "Gothic  Mansion,"  on  Chestnut  Street 
near  Thirteenth.  One  of  his  favorite  pupils 
was  the  late  Mrs.  Edward  Shippen  Burd. 
During  this  period  he  lived  with  Benjamin 
Carr  in  closest  intimacy ;  together  with  a 
younger  musician,  Joseph  C.  Ta^vs,  they 
kept  a  bachelor's  house.  After  a  third 
absence  in  Scotland,  he  married,  in  1823, 
one  of  his  pupils,  Elizabeth  M.  Paterson, 
53 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

of  Philadelphia.  The  Musical  Fund  So- 
ciety likewise  erected  a  monument  to  him 
in  St.  Peter's  church-yard,  and  had  his  por- 
trait painted  by  J.  C.  Darley.  His  widow 
survived  him  until  1888. 

In  leaving  the  eighteenth  century,  we 
must  confess  that  until  its  close  music 
received  little  encouragement  from  the 
public.  It  was  principally  limited  to  the 
churches  and  to  the  small  circles  which 
grouped  about  the  few  resident  musicians. 
But  with  the  beginning  of  the  new  century 
there  appears  a  decided  impulse  towards 
the  formation  of  musical  societies,  mainly 
for  the  performance  of  the  great  vocal 
masterpieces.  The  old  Uranian  Society 
^vas  founded  in  1787  for  the  improvement 
of  church  music.  It  continued  until  after 
1800,  meeting  at  the  corner  of  Third  and 
Market  Streets.  The  Harmonic  Society, 
formed  in  1802  for  a  similar  purpose,  aspired 
nevertheless  to  concerts,  and  usually  gave 
at  least  one  every  year.  Some  of  the 
places  of  performance  w^ere  the  Second 
Presbyterian  Church,  at  Third  and  Arch 
Streets,  and  the  Hall  of  the  University,  on 
Fourth  Street  below  Arch.  The  Haydn 
Society,  instituted  in  1809,  consisted  in  i8ig 
of  eighty  ladies  and  fifty  gentlemen.  The 
managers  were  the  Rev.  John  Goodman, 
54 


EARLY    MUSIC 

Joseph  George,  and  George  Emerick.  One 
announcement  tells  that  "the  object  of  the 
Society  has  been  for  many  years  to  intro- 
duce and  improve  themselves  in  psalmody." 
They  might  have  added  the  study  of  rhe- 
toric. 

Probably  of  more  importance  was  the 
Handelian  Society,  which  gave  some 
famous  concerts,  one  of  which,  at  the 
Tabernacle  Church  in  1815,  yielded  for  the 
benefit  of  the  poor  the  sum  of  $1017.95,  a 
sum  which  seems  colossal  even  to  the 
Philadelphian  musicians  of  to-day.  It 
would  not  be  too  bold  a  venture  to  assert 
that  no  local  concert  has  since  surpassed 
this  achievement. 

In  1817  a  small  choir  was  started  in  the 
Rev.  Thomas  N.  Skinner's  church,  known 
as  the  Fifth  Presbyterian,  then  on  Locust 
Street,  west  of  Eighth,  where  now  is 
Musical  Fund  Hall.  There  was  some  diffi- 
culty, as  choirs  -were  unknown  in  the  Pres- 
byterian Church.  Other  societies  were  the 
Harmonic,  of  St.  John's  English  Lutheran 
Church,  meeting  in  1819  at  the  corner  of 
Sixth  and  Race  Streets.  At  the  same  time 
the  Independent  Harmonic  Society,  of 
which  Joseph  Mcllhenny  was  president, 
met  at  Fourth  and  Vine  Streets.  Finally, 
there  was  the  Union  Harmonic  Society,  of 
55 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

the  same  period,  in  the  rooms  of  the  old 
Harmonic,  in  Norris'  Alley ;  James  W^eir 
was  the  president.  The  St.  Cecilia  Society, 
established  in  1824,  had  its  hall  on  South 
Fourth  Street.  The  first  president  was 
John  Neagle,  the  artist.  He  was  succeeded 
in  1825  by  Colonel  Andrew  M.  Prevost. 
The  leader  was  Edward  R.  Hansen ; 
Thomas  Carr  was  vocal  conductor. 

One  of  the  greatest  musical  occasions 
was  the  performance  of  selections  from 
the  "Messiah"  and  from  the  "Creation" 
at  St.  Augustine's  Church,  in  June,  1810, 
w^ith  an  orchestra  of  fifty  performers. 

All  these  forces,  struggling  for  organized 
musical  activity,  were  finally  crystallized  in 
one  society,  which  in  turn  reacted  with 
strong  impetus  and  with  a  greatly  improved 
standard  on  the  musical  life  of  the  city. 


56 


EARLY   MUSIC 


CHAPTER  IV.    BEGINNINGS  OF  THE 
MUSICAL   FUND    SOCIETY. 

^^■^^^HERE    is    no    doubt    that    most 

^    I  events  of  moment  to  the  world 

M       I  began    withou.t    flourish    of 

^^^^V     trumpets,  in  ignorance  of  their 

^^^^       significance.     Nay,  it  might  be 

said  that  it  is  in  this  unconsciousness  that 

lies  the  strength  of  the  movement. 

For  several  years  previous  to  1820,  a 
small  circle  of  lovers  of  music  were  in  the 
habit  of  meeting  during  the  winter  months 
on  Wednesday  evenings  at  their  houses  for 
musical  enjoyment  and  cultivation.  Among 
these  ^vere  Dr.  ^Villiam  P.  De  W^ees,  Dr. 
Robert  M.  Patterson,  John  K.  Kane,  Leon- 
ard Koecker,  Peter  S.  Duponceau,  Charles 
A.  Poulson,  and  others.  The  best  musi- 
cians were  invited,  and  chosen  friends  who 
appreciated  the  quartettes  of  "  Beethoven, 
Boccherini,  and  other  composers."  Let  us 
hope  these  included  Haydn  and  Mozart. 
The  musicians  were  Charles  F.  Hupfeld, 
leader,  John  Hupfeld,  second  violin  and 
sometimes  tenor  (or  viola),  P.  Gilles  and 
57 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

George  Schetky,  violoncellos.  Occasional 
violinists  were  John  C.  Hommann  and  his 
two  sons,  John  and  Charles,  and  Dr.  Rene 
La  Roche. 

Charles  Hupfeld,  in  1816,  tried  to  establish 
with  Benjamin  Carr,  P.  Gilles,  and  others, 
a  society  for  regular  practice.  They  met  at 
Earle  and  Sully's  gallery  of  paintings,  at  the 
house  next  to  the  northwest  corner  of  Fifth 
and  Chestnut  Streets.  But  they  found  it 
difficult  to  keep  a  sufficient  number  of 
players  together.  Gradually  to  the  study 
of  concerted  music  was  added  the  distinct 
purpose  of  a  fund  for  the  relief  of  musicians. 

This  subject  was  frequently  discussed  at 
the  quartette  parties ;  and  at  length  a  public 
meeting  w^as  held  by  a  number  of  gentle- 
men, professional  and  amateur,  on  Friday 
evening,  January  7,  1820,  in  the  front  room 
of  the  second  story  of  Elliott's  hotel  on 
Chestnut  Street,  next  door  to  Peter  S. 
Duponceau's  residence,  at  the  northeast 
corner  of  Sixth  and  Chestnut  Streets. 
Among  those  present  were  Dr.  William  P. 
De  Wees,  Dr.  Robert  M.  Patterson,  Joseph 
Fisher,  Benjamin  Carr,  George  Schetky, 
P.  Gilles,  the  Messrs.  Hommann,  Charles 
F.  Hupfeld  and  his  brother  John,  Thomas 
Loud,  John  K.  Kane,  and  Charles  A. 
Poulson.  Dr.  De  W^ees  presided,  and  Mr. 
58 


t>ij/f': 


-     A 


■J 


EARLY   MUSIC 

Kane  acted  as  secretary.  The  meeting 
deemed  it  expedient  that  a  society  should 
be  instituted  for  the  purpose  of  providing 
a  fund  for  the  relief  and  support  of  decayed 
musicians  and  their  families.  A  committee 
to  draft  a  constitution  was  appointed,  con- 
sisting of  Messrs.  Carr,  Charles  Hupfeld, 
Cross,  and  Dr.  Patterson.  At  a  late  meet- 
ing another  committee,  comprising  most 
of  the  last  mentioned,  "was  appointed  to 
receive  nominations  for  membership  in 
the  proposed  society.  All  the  committees 
consisted,  for  the  most  part,  of  professional 
musicians.  At  a  special  meeting,  on  Febru- 
ary 3,  the  report  of  the  former  committee 
was  unanimously  adopted  as  the  constitu- 
tion of  the  Musical  Fund  Society  of  Phila- 
delphia. On  the  29th  of  the  same  month 
a  meeting  for  the  election  of  officers  was 
held  at  Elliott's  Hotel,  which  resulted  as 
follows : 

Dr.  William  P.  De  Wees  -  President. 

Dr.  Robert  M.   Patterson     -  Vice-President. 

Daniel  Lammot    -        -        -  Treasurer. 

John  K.  Kane       -        -        -  Secretary. 

Managers  of  the  Fund. — James  W.  Barker,  Thomas 
Artley,  Francis  G.  Smith,  Edward  Hudson,  Ben- 
jamin Carr,  William  Strickland,  Henry  P.  Barre- 
kens,  William  Hawkins,  Charles  A.  Poulson,  Ben- 
jamin Say,  George  Schetky,  and  Andrew  Farrouihl. 
59 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 


Directors  of  Music. — Raynor  Taylor,  Benjamin  Carr, 
C.  F.  Hupfeld,  P.  Gilles,  Benjamin  Cross,  M.  E. 
Brenan,  Thomas  Sully,  I.  Le  FoUe,  I.  T.  David, 
George  Schetky,  Charles  I.  Nicholas,  and  J.  C. 
Hommann. 

The  following  eighty-five  names  were  re- 
ported to  be  members  of  the  Society : 


Thomas  Artley. 

Allyn  Bach. 

John  Brown. 

H.  P.  Barrekens. 

Geo,  E.  Blake. 

Wm.  C.  Beck. 

M.  E.  Brenan. 

C.  I.  Brown. 

Jas.  H.  Barker. 

Dr.  John  Barnes. 

Lewis  F.  Bernhart. 

Ben.  Carr. 

Ben.  Cross. 

Jacob  Churr,  Jr. 

Isaac   P.  Cole. 

Ben.  S.  Clemens. 

G.  Carusi. 

S.  Carusi. 

L.  Carusi. 

Geo.  Campbell. 

Dr.  Wm.  P.  De  Wees. 

I.  T.  David. 

Tobias  W.  Durney. 

Elijah  Dallett. 

F.  Eberl6 

Jos.  Fisher. 


Henry  G.  Freeman. 
I.  L.  Frederick. 
Daniel  C.  Freytag. 
A.  Farrouihl. 
John  Fowle,  Jr. 
John  Fury. 
P.  Gilles. 
John  F.  Greland. 
John  Graham. 
T.  Greland. 
Wm.  Gallager. 
C.  F.  Hupfeld. 
John  Hupfeld. 
J.  C.  Hommann. 
J.  C.  Hommann,  Jr. 
Wm.  Hawkins. 
Ed.  Hudson. 
Thos.  Hopkins. 
Wm.  Harrison. 
Francis  Hopkinson. 
Jas.  Henderson. 
Abram  L.  Hart. 
Dr.  Wm.  E.  Horner. 
John  K.  Kane. 
J.  G.  Klemm. 
Leonard  Koecker. 


60 


EARLY    MUSIC 


John  Keating,  Jr. 
Thos.  Loud, 
I.  Le  FoUe. 
Daniel  Lammot. 
Rene  La  Roche,  Jr. 
Jacob  Lex. 
G.  Marshall. 
Wm.  Mcllhenny,  Jr. 
Chas.  I.  Nicholas. 
Philip  N.  Nicklin. 
Chas.  Penneweyre. 
P.  Perdriaux. 
Chas.  A.  Poulson. 
Dr.  Robt.  M.  Patterson. 
Thos.  N.  Palmer. 
Thos.  P.  Roberts. 


Chas.  F.  Roberts. 
Thos.  Sully. 
Geo.  Schetky. 
F.  G.  Smith. 
R.  S.  Smith. 
Wm.  Strickland. 
David  Sergeant. 
John  Sidebotham. 
Gumey  Smith. 
Benjamin  Say. 
Robt.  W.  Sykes. 
Jos.  C.  Taws. 
Raynor  Taylor. 
John  Wheeler, 
Geo.  F.  Womrath. 


Note.— David  Sergeant  declined,  leaving  the  number  eighty- 
four. 

Many  of  the  most  distinguished  citizens 
early  became  members  of  the  Society  and 
took  an  active  interest  in  its  advancement 
and  work. 

The  relief  of  musicians,  apparently  the 
original  prime  object,  seems  in  reality  to 
have  been  rather  an  excuse, — that  which 
might  give  the  society  a  surviving  cause, 
after  the  special  circle  of  incorporating 
members  had  departed.  The  title  and  the 
term  "decayed  musicians"  was  undoubt- 
edly suggested  by  that  of  the  London 
Musical  Fund  Society,  which  was  in  ex- 
istence at  that  time. 

6i 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

The  fact  that  the  beneficial  purpose  ap- 
pears foremost  in  all  the  formal  documents, 
in  the  title,  the  legend,  the  stated  object  of 
the  first  meeting,  and  the  act  of  incorpora- 
tion, is  not  convincing.  According  to  the 
annual  report  of  Mays,  1831,  "the  primary 
object  .  .  .  was  to  reform  the  state  of  neglect 
into  which  the  beautiful  art  of  music  had 
fallen.  The  secondary  object  in  the  forma- 
tion of  the  Society  was  the  provision  of  a 
fund  for  relieving  decayed  musicians.  This 
was  a  graft  on  the  first  project ;  but  its 
value  was  so  highly  appreciated  that  in  the 
arrangement  of  the  constitution  it  was 
assigned  the  highest  rank."  The  driving 
motive  in  the  whole  undertaking  was,  with- 
out doubt,  a  high  ambition,  far  beyond  that 
of  any  existing  musical  association.  It  was 
intended  to  advance  music  to  the  highest 
point,  and  to  present  to  the  public  the  finest 
compositions,  both  sacred  and  secular.  But 
in  the  linking  of  its  twin  objects,  it  w^as 
probably  unique  in  this  country.  Perhaps 
it  was  a  suggestion  of  the  old  verse,  that 

"  Music,  like  mercy,  is  twice  blessed, — 
It  blesseth  him  that  gives  and  him  that  takes." 

The  early  meetings  of  the  directors  were 
held  at  the  residence  of  Benjamin  Carr,  at 
7  Powell  Street,  between  Fifth  and  Sixth; 

62 


EARLY   MUSIC 

once  at  George  Schetky's,  at  71  Locust 
Street.  At  one  of  them  there  were  elected, 
as  conductors  of  instrumental  music,  C.  F. 
Hupfeld,  P.  Gilles,  and  George  Schetky; 
as  conductors  of  vocal  music,  L.  F.  Bern- 
hart,  Thomas  Loud,  and  M.  E.  Brenan. 
The  curators  were  J.  B.  De  Bree,  T.  M. 
Durney,  Thomas  N.  Palmer,  and  F.  Gurney 
Smith.  It  was  agreed  that  the  practising 
should  be  held  on  Thursday  evenings  of 
each  week  during  the  year,  excepting  the 
months  of  June,  July,  and  August,  alter- 
nately with  vocal  and  instrumental  music. 
The  first  of  these  practisings  were  held  in 
the  third-story  room  of  the  building  No.  118 
Chestnut  Street,  on  the  southwest  corner 
of  Carpenters'  Court ;  afterwards  at  Carpen- 
ters' Hall,  when  that  building  was  rented 
by  the  Society. 

The  board  of  managers  held  their  first 
meeting  on  the  7th  of  March,  at  the  house 
of  the  treasurer,  Daniel  Lammot,  at  98  S. 
Front  Street.  Subsequently,  until  a  room 
was  rented,  they  met  at  Thomas  Astley's,  on 
the  southwest  corner  of  Eighth  and  W^alnut. 

An  amusing  correspondence  between  the 
first  secretary   and   two   members-elect   is 

actually  preserved  in  the  original  writing. 

f 

The  first  letter,  written  jointly  by        I         H. 
63 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 


^^^  I  H.,    whom    we    discover    in 

James  or  "  Gimmy"  Henderson  and  Fran- 
cis Hopkinson,  is  an  elaborate  structure  of 
puns  and  plays,  none  of  w^hich  we  can 
escape,  as  they  are  faithfully  underlined 
with  unctuous  gusto.  So  absolute  is  the 
determination  to  import  all  phrases  and 
words  which  remotely  bear  on  musical 
terms,  that  the  actual  sense  of  the  letter 
lapses  into  an  obscure  background.  They 
complain  of  a  bass  viol-ation  of  the  free- 
dom of  speech ;  they  are  intent  on  put- 
ting a  stop  to  such  high-toned  infractions. 
They  threaten  to  flagellate  the  secretary 
and  make  him  shake.  They  tell  him  he  will 
meet  with  an  insurmountable  bar  in  the 
fiddel-ity  of  their  souls,  and  much  other  in- 
nocent nonsense.  They  underscore  every 
appearance  of  "voices,"  "time,"  "sec- 
onds." Finally  they  subscribe  themselves: 
"  Hoping  you  may  continue  con  gracio  al- 
ways affehioso  and  without  variation  a  trio 
of  friends  until  the  grand  finale''  The 
answ^er  of  the  secretary,  who  easily  van- 
quishes his  adversaries  on  their  chosen 
ground,  is  quite  worth  quoting  in  full. 

— 1> — ^ 

"  To  Messieurs        |  and        \         ,  late 


64 


EARLY   MUSIC 

members-elect  of  the  Musical  Fund  Society 
of  Philadelphia, — 


"  Hautbois  !  and  did  jrou  think  to  beat, 
By  puns  of  neither  point  nor  fire, 
In  a  short  note  of  half  a  sheet, 
Those  who  have  oii^n  filled  a  choir? 


•'  You've  strained  your  wits  exceeding  much, 

Have  marked  your  time  and  struck  your  blow, 
But  vile  in  every  thing  you  touch, 
Your  vileness  never  sunk  solo. 

3- 

"  Your  threats  I  value  not  a  dime  ; 

For  well  does  shaking  Gimmy  know 
That  hymn  I've  struck  full  many  a  time, 
But  he  dared  never  give  a  blow. 

4. 

"  Yet  you  oi  flageoletting  prate, 

As  though  you  n'er  had  tried  the  game, 
Nor  felt,  ye  Gadshill  knaves,  the  weight 
Of  my  much  punned  and  dreaded  name. 


"  Ye  quavering  fools,  who  do  not  know 
A  psalm  tune  from  a  country  dance, — 
Truly,  we  weep  to  mark  your  low 
And-ante  Christian  ignorance. 
e  65 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

6. 

"  For  you  bass  trumpets  are  the  thing, 
Fitted  to  make  a  braying  sound  ; 
That  whether  you  do  play  or  sing, 
Your  native  notes  may  still  resound. 

7. 

•*  'Twill  not  seem  funny  to  you  then 

That  we  your  concert  should  despise, 
Nor  wish  for  harmony  with  men 
Who  harmony  can  never  prize. 

8. 

"  Your  scornful  puns,  ye  harp-y  pair. 
We  men  of  note  with  scorn  repay  : — 
Ye  members  true  of  discord's  bar. 
We  drum,  you  from  our  bar  away. 

"  Signed  and  Sealed  with  the  Society  Seal." 
♦•  Feb.  27,  i8ao." 

At  one  of  the  preliminary  meetings  the 
members  ^ve^e  distinguished  as  professional 
and  amateur.     The  former  were : 

L.  F.  Bemhart.  B.  Carr. 

A.  Bacon.  J.  Churr,  Jr. 

G.  E,  Blake.  I.  P.  Cole. 

M.  E.  Brenan.  J.  B.  DeBree. 

G.  Carusi.  F.  E.  Eberl6 

S.  Carusi.  I.  L.  Frederick. 

L.  Carusi.  J.  Fuss. 
66 


EARLY    MUSIC 

A.  Farrouihl.  A.  L.  Hart. 

P.  Gilles.  J.  G.  Klemm. 

T.  Greland.  T.  Loud. 

C.  F.  Hupfeld.  I.  Le  FoUe. 

J.  Hupfeld.  J.  Sidebotham. 

T.  Hopkins.  J.  C.  Taws. 

J.  C.  Hommann.  R.  Taylor. 

J.  C.  Hommann,  Jr.  J.  Wheeler. 

A  committee  was  appointed  to  wait  on 
such  ladies  as  they  might  select,  and  solicit 
them  to  become  members  of  the  Society.* 

On  the  29th  of  March  a  committee  re- 
ported that  they  had  contracted  with  John 
Lavel  for  a  third-story  room  at  No.  118 
Chestnut  Street,  on  the  southwest  corner 
of  Carpenters'  Court,  at  a  rent  of  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  dollars  for  one  year.  From 
the  minutes  it  appears  that  before  this  lease 
some  meetings  were  held  at  Elliott's  Hotel, 
others  at  the  house  of  Dr.  De  Wees,  the 
president,  at  No.  154  Chestnut  Street. 

Committees  on  finance  and  on  distribu- 
tion were  appointed  on  April  19,  and  at  the 
same  meeting  the  by-laws  w^ere  adopted. 
One  of  the  articles  provided,  in  order  the 
more  effectually  to  promote  the  benevolent 
aim  of  the  institution,  that  the  board  elect 


*  The  members  elected  after  incorporation  will  be 
found  enrolled  in  the  appendix. 
67 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

annually  two  physicians,  and  that  the  latter 
visit,  at  the  request  of  the  Committee  on 
Distribution,  such  members  and  their  fami- 
lies as  may  require  medical  advice  or  assist- 
ance, and  in  all  cases  prescribe  gratuitously. 
At  the  first  annual  meeting  of  the  Society, 
held  at  the  hall,  No.  ii8  Chestnut  Street,  on 
May  2,  1820,  substantially  the  same  officers 
were  elected.  Francis  G.  Smith  appears  as 
treasurer. 

Much  difficulty  existed  in  obtaining  copies 
of  parts  in  preparation  for  the  first  concert 
of  the  Society.  A  letter  from  Peters,  in 
Leipzig,  said  that  he  was  unable  to  fill  the 
order  in  its  entirety.  To  procure  the  instru- 
mental parts  of  Beethoven's  "  Hallelujah 
Chorus"  from  "The  Mount  of  Olives,"  one 
of  the  members  visited  New  York.  Mr. 
Gillingham  was  paid  five  dollars  for  making 
copies  of  parts  belonging  to  the  Handel  and 
Haydn  Society  of  New  York. 

It  ^vas  intended  to  give  Haydn's  "  Crea- 
tion" at  the  first  concert,  but  the  music 
could  not  be  procured,  either  from  abroad 
or  from  Baltimore,  New  York,  or  Boston. 
Much  time  had  been  spent  in  rehearsing 
the  oratorio. 

The  following  is  the  notice  as  published 
in  the  newspapers  relating  to  the  prepara- 
tions for  the  first  concert : 

68 


EARLY   MUSIC 

"MUSICAL   FUND    SOCIETY 
OF   PHILADELPHIA. 

"  The  performing  members  of  the  Society  and  all 
others  concerned  are  respectfully  requested  to  give 
their  punctual  attendance  at  the  appointed  Rehearsals 
as  preparatory  to  the  First  Concert  for  the  Benefit  of 
the  Fund,  to  be  held  at  the  Grand  Saloon,  Washington 
Hall,  on  Tuesday,  24th  inst.  [April],  viz.  : 

"  ist.  On  Tuesday  evening,  17th  instant,  a  Vocal 
and  Instrumental  Rehearsal  for  Performing  Members 
only,  at  the  Hall  of  the  Society,  lately  occupied  by  the 
Bank  of  the  United  States,  Carpenters'  Court,  precisely 
at  7  o'clock. 

"  2d.  On  Thursday  evening,  19th  instant,  at  7  o'clock 
precisely,  at  the  Society's  Hall,  a  stated  practising  of 
the  Sinfonias,  Overtures,  Concerts,  &c.,  at  which  the 
Members  of  the  Society  may  attend. 

"  3d.  On  Monday,  23d  instant,  at  2  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon,  the  Grand  Saloon,  Washington  Hall,  a  Gen- 
eral Rehearsal  of  the  Concert,  at  which  the  Members  of 
the  Society,  not  engaged  in  the  performances,  are 
invited  to  attend. 

"N.B. — In  order  to  avoid  confusion  or  intrusion, 
the  Members  of  the  Society  are  requested  to  show  their 
tickets  of  Membership  to  the  doorkeepers  or  janitor. 
Those  Ladies  and  Gentlemen  who  have  kindly  volun- 
teered their  assistance  on  this  occasion  will  be  pre- 
sented with  tickets  of  admission  on  Tuesday,  17th 
instant,  at  the  Hall  of  the  Society,  which  tickets  they 
also  will  have  the  goodness  to  show  to  the  doorkeepers 
or  janitor,  at  every  succeeding  Rehearsal  or  Practising. 

"  By  order  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Music. 
"G.  SCHETKY, 

"  April  16,  1831."  Secretary. 

69 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 
"MUSICAL   FUND   SOCIETY 

OF   PHILADELPHIA. 

"  The  public  are  respectfully  informed,  that  the  First 
Concert,  for  the  benefit  of  the  Fund,  will  be  repeated 
on  Tuesday,  8th  May,  1821,  at  the  Grand  Saloon, 
Washington  Hall,  with  the  addition  of  some  Vocal 
Solos,  &c. 

"  The  Members  of  the  Society  will  please  to  apply  at 
the  Society's  Hall,  in  Carpenters'  Court,  for  their  two 
Ladies'  Tickets,  on  Saturday,  Monday,  and  Tuesday, 
from  9  till  I  o'clock." 

The  first  concert  of  the  Society  was 
given  on  Tuesday,  April  24,  1821,  at  W^ash- 
ington  Hall,  on  Third  Street,  near  Spruce. 
A  programme  has  been  most  happily  pre- 
served of  its  second  performance,  of  which 
the  wording  follows ;  a  reduced  fac-simile 
of  the  first  page  is  also  given.  In  regard  to 
this  repetition,  a  minute  of  a  late  meeting 
records  a  vote  that  it  "should  not  be  con- 
sidered as  one  of  the  two  concerts  .  .  . 
authorized  to  be  given  this  year." 

SECOND   PERFORMANCE 

of  the 

FIRST    CONCERT 

for  the  benefit  of  the 

MUSICAL   FUND    SOCIETY 

OF   PHILADELPHIA, 

70 


SECOND  PERFORMANCE 

OF   THE 
FOR  THE  BENEFIT  OF  THE 

MUSICAL  FUND  SOCIETY 

OF  PHILADELPHIA. 

TUESDAY,  MAY  8,  IftBl. 
^t  the  Grand  Saloon,  Washington  Hall, 

with  the  addition  of  tome  VOCAL  SOLOS. 

Conductors — Messrs.  B.  Can*,  B.  Cross,  P.  Gilles, 
C.  F.  Hupfeld,  T.  Loud,  G.  Schetky. 

PLAN  OF  THE  CONCERT 

PAUT  FIRST. 

Grand  SInfonia  in  E.  Romberg 

Vocal  Duett,  "  The  Butterfly,"  Sale 

Gay  Being,  bom  to  flutter  thro'  the  day. 

Sport  in  the  sunshine  of  the  present  hour, 
On  the  sweet  rose  thy  painted  wings  display, 

And  cull  the  fragrance  of  the  op'ning  flowef ! 
Time  hastens  on ;  the  summer  ends  too  soon ; 

Take  then  the  rosy  mmutes  as  they  fly ; 
For  soon,  alas,  youf  little  life  is  gone. 

To-day  you  sparkle,  and  to-morrow  die. 

Concerto  Violoncello— -Mr.  Gilles,  from 
B.  Romberg's  Concerto  in  D.,  followed  by 
an  air  with  variations,  composed  by     Mr.  Gilles 

Air,  vocal,  «  Donald,"       Original  Scottish  Melody 

When  first  you  courted  tnc,  I  own, 

I  fondly  favoured  you ; 
Apparent  worth  and  hi^  renown 

Made  me  believe  you  true,  Donald. 


EARLY   MUSIC 

Tuesday,  May  8,  1821, 

At  the  Grand  Saloon,  Washington  Hall, 

With  the  addition  of  some 

Vocal  Solos. 

Conductors. — Messrs.  B.  Carr,  B.  Cross, 
P.  Gilles,  C.  F.  Hupfeld,  T.  Loud,  G. 
Schetky. 

PLAN    OF   THE    CONCERT. 

PART   FIRST. 

Grand  Sinfonia  in  E.  Romberg 

Vocal  Duett,  "The  Butterfly"  Sale 

Gay  being,  born  to  flutter  thro'  the  day, 
Sport  in  the  sunshine  of  the  present  hour, 

On  the  sweet  rose  thy  painted  wings  display, 
And  cull  the  fragrance  of  the  op'ning  flower ! 

Time  hastens  on ;  the  summer  ends  too  soon ; 

Take  then  the  rosy  minutes  as  they  fly ; 
For  soon,  alas,  your  little  life  is  gone. 

To-day  you  sparkle,  and  to-morrow  die. 

Concerto  Violoncello — Mr.  Gilles, 
from  B.  Romberg's  Concerto  in 
D,  followed  by  an  air  with  vari- 
ations, composed  by  Mr.  Gilles 
Air,  vocal,  **  Donald"            Original  Scottish 

Melody 
When  first  you  courted  me,  I  own, 

I  fondly  favoured  you  ; 
Apparent  worth  and  high  renown 
Made  me  believe  you  true,  Donald. 
71 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

Each  virtue  then  seem'd  to  adorn 

The  man  esteem'd  by  me ; 
But,  now  the  mask's  thrown  off,  I  scorn 

To  waste  one  thought  on  thee,  Donald. 

O  then  for  ever  haste  away, 

Away  from  love  and  me  ! 
Go  seek  a  heart  that's  like  your  own. 

And  come  no  more  to  me,  Donald. 
For  I'll  reserve  myself  alone 

For  one  that's  more  like  me ; 
If  such  a  one  I  cannot  find, 

I'll  Ry  from  love  and  thee,  Donald. 

Overture — Dell  Opera  Tancredi  Rossini 

Glee  and  Chorus — Awake,  ^olian 
Lyre,  with  orchestra  accom- 
paniments by  B.  Carr  Danby 

Glee  and  Chorus. 

Awake,  ^olian  Lyre,  awake  ! 

And  give  to  rapture  all  thy  trembling  strings  : 

From  Helicon's  harmonious  springs, 

A  thousand  rills  their  mazy  progress  take. 

The  laughing  flow'rs  that  round  them  blow. 
Drink  life  and  fragrance  as  they  flow. 
Now  the  rich  stream  of  music  winds  along, 
Deep,  majestic,  smooth,  and  strong, 

Thro'  verdant  vales  and  Ceres'  golden  reign ; 
Now  rolling  down  the  steep  amain, 
Headlong,  impetuous,  see  it  pour, 
The  rocks  and  nodding  groves  rebellow  to  the  roar. 
72 


EARLY   MUSIC 

PART   SECOND. 


Concerto  Violin,  Mr.  Hupfeld  Rode 

Polacca,  "Trifler,  Forbear"  Bishop 


Recit. 


Air. 


Trifler,  forbear ;  deceit  in  flattery  lies ; 
We  may  endure  it,  but  we  must  despise. 

Go,  trifler,  go  ;  your  flattery  leave, 
That  lure  which  leads  our  sex  astray ! 

Still  smiling  only  to  deceive. 
And  more  securely  to  betray ! 

On  Etna's  side  thus  verdure  bright 
Deludes  the  swain,  and  hope  inspires ; 

While,  with  an  overwhelming  night 
The  dread  Volcano  pours  its  fires  ! 

Trifler,  forbear! 

Go,  trifler,  go,  &c. 


Grand  Sinfonia  in  C  Beethoven 

New  Glee  and  Chorus — Sequel  to 
the  "Red  Cross  Knight,"  with 
orchestra  accompaniments  by 
B.  Carr  Dr.  Clarke 

SEQUEL   TO  THE   RED    CROSS    KNIGHT. 

Solo,  Bass  Voice. 

I  cannot  stay,  cried  the  Red  Cross  Knight, 
Nor  can  I  feast  with  thee  : 
But  I  must  haste  to  a  pleasant  bow'r, 
Where  a  lady's  waiting  for  me, 
73 


MUSIC    IN    PHILADELPHIA 

Trio. 

Oh,  say  not  so,  dear  Red  Cross  Knight, 

Nor  heed  that  fond  lady. 

For  she  can't  compare  with  my  daughter  so  fair, 

And  she  shall  attend  on  thee. 

Solo,  Bass  Voice. 

Now  must  I  go,  cried  the  Red  Cross  Knight, 
For  that  lady  I'm  to  wed. 

And  the  feast  guests  and  bridemaids  all  are  met, 
And  prepared  the  bridal  bed. 

Trio. 

Now  nay,  now  nay,  thou  Red  Cross  Knight, 
My  daughter  shall  wed  with  thee. 
And  the  mass  shall  be  sung. 
And  the  bells  shall  be  rung, 
And  we'll  feast  right  merrily. 

Chorus. 

And  the  mass  shall  be  sung, 
And  the  bells  shall  be  rung, 
And  we'll  feast  right  merrily. 

Trio. 

And  as  the  lady  prest  the  Knight, 
With  her  ladies  clad  in  pall, 
Oh  then  bespake  a  pilgrim  boy. 
As  he  stood  in  the  hall. 

Solo,  Treble  Voice. 

Now  Heav'n  thee  save.  Sir  Red  Cross  Knight, 
I'm  come  from  the  North  country, 
Where  a  lady  is  laid  all  on  her  death  bed, 
And  evermore  calls  for  thee. 
74 


EARLY    MUSIC 

Solo,  Bass  Voice. 

Alas  !   alas  !   thou  pilgrim  boy, 
Sad  news  thou  tellest  me, 
Now  must  I  ride  full  hastily, 
To  comfort  that  dear  lady. 

Treble  Voices. 

Oh  heed  him  not,  the  ladies  cried. 
But  send  a  page  to  see. 

Trio  and  Chorus. 

While  the  mass  is  sung. 
And  the  bells  are  rung, 
And  we  feast  merrily. 

Solo,  Treble  Voice. 

Again  bespake  the  pilgrim  boy  :  J 

Ye  need  not  send  to  see, 
For,  know.  Sir  Knight,  that  lady's  dead, 
And  died  for  love  of  thee. 

Trio. 

Oh !  then  the  Red  Cross  Knight  was  pale, 

And  not  a  word  could  say ; 

But  his  heart  did  swell,  and  his  tears  down  fell, 

And  he  almost  swoon'd  away. 

And  where  is  her  grave,  said  the  Red  Cross  Knight, 

The  grave  where  she  doth  lay  ? 

Oh,  I  know  well,  cried  the  pilgrim  boy, 

And  I'll  shew  thee  the  way. 

The  Knight  was  sad,  the  pilgrim  sigh'd. 

Solo,  Treble  Voice. 

While  the  Warder  loud  did  cry. 
Let  the  mass  be  sung, 
And  the  bells  be  rung, 
And  the  feast  eat  merrily. 
75 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

Trio  and  Chorus. 

Let  the  mass  be  sung, 
And  the  bells  be  rung, 
And  the  feast  eat  merrily. 

Overture — De  L' Opera  Les  Deux 
Aveugles  De  Toledo,  full  or- 
chestra Mehul 

LEADER— MR.  C.  F.  HUPFELD. 

Principal  violins — Messrs.  De  Luce,  Hein- 
rich,  Kahn,  Getze,  &c.,  &c.  Principal 
violoncello — M.  P.  Gilles.  Violoncellos — 
Messrs.  Hommann,  senr.,  &c.  Tenors — 
Messrs.  Cantor,  C.  Hommann,  &c.  Princi- 
pal double  bass — Mr.  Schetky.  Double 
basses — Messrs.  J.  Hommann  and  Klemm. 
Principal  flute — Mr.  Dannenberg.  Principal 
bassoon — Mr.  J.  D.  "Weisse,  from  Beth- 
lehem. 

The  CONDUCTORS  of  the  VOCAL 
Music  will  alternately  preside  at  the 
ORGAN. 

The  Orchestra  will  consist  of  one  hun- 
dred Vocal  and  Instrumental  performers. 

TO    COMMENCE   AT  7  O'CLOCK. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  board  of  managers 

on    April    30,    Dr.    W^illiam    P.    De  W^ees, 

Benjamin  Carr,  and  W^illiam  T.  Birch  were 

elected  trustees,  "in  whom  shall  be  vested 

76 


EARLY   MUSIC 

all  the  estate  and  effects,  now  and  v^hich 
may  belong  to  the  Society,  and  in  whose 
names  all  future  investments  of  the  funds 
shall  be  made,  and  execute  all  contracts  for 
the  benefit  of  the  Society." 

^A^ith  all  the  magnificent  progress  ^ve 
have  traced,  there  was  still  a  goodly  rem- 
nant of  old  prejudice.  A  suspicious  taint 
still  clung  to  the  professional  musician.  At 
a  meeting  in  May,  1820,  it  was  resolved, 
"  That  no  female  professional  members  be 
admitted  without  a  w^ritten  certificate  from 
some  lady  of  established  character  in  this 
city." 

In  the  same  year  we  find  a  bill  of  sixteen 
dollars  and  sixty-three  cents  for  candles  ap- 
proved by  the  board.  Gas,  it  seems,  was 
still  an  experiment  at  this  time. 


77 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 


CHAPTER     V.       EARLY     YEARS     OF 
THE    MUSICAL   FUND    SOCIETY. 

^^■r"N   May,  1821,  it  was  decided  that 
^ll        the  oratorio  of  the  "  Creation"  be 

1 1        prepared  for  the  next  concert. 

II  A  little  later  a  lease  was  con- 

11  eluded  w^ith  the  Carpenters'  So- 
ciety for  their  hall,  at  a  rent  of  three  hundred 
dollars  a  year.  Alterations  w^ere  directed 
to  be  made  at  an  expense  not  exceeding 
fifteen  dollars.  It  is  not  so  strange  to  find 
in  the  treasurer's  quarterly  report,  in  July, 
the  promising  balance  of  eleven  hundred 
and  sixty-eight  dollars  and  tw^enty-seven 
cents.  A  more  prodigal  spirit  led,  in  Janu- 
ary of  the  next  year,  to  the  provision  of 
refreshments  "  for  the  performing  members 
at  practisings  and  private  rehearsals,  under 
such  regulations  as  may  be  deemed  proper, 
the  expenses  not  to  exceed  two  dollars." 

In  preparation  for  the  "  Creation,"  the 
instrumental  parts  were  borrowed  of  the 
Moravian  Brethren  at  Bethlehem.  In  Feb- 
ruary a  committee,  consisting  of  "  other 
than  professional  members,"  was  appointed 
"to  procure  an  accession  of  Ladies  and 
Gentlemen  to  the  vocal  rehearsals." 
78 


MUSICAL   FUND    SOCIETY 

The  performance  of  an  oratorio  was 
something  of  a  Herculean  achievement  in 
those  days.  The  honor  of  first  producing 
Haydn's  "Creation"  in  the  United  States 
belongs  to  the  Moravians  of  Bethlehem, 
where  it  was  given  in  1811.  The  copies, 
made  from  the  score  of  Peters,  are  still 
preserved.  The  Handel  and  Haydn  Society 
of  Boston  gave  the  first  complete  perform- 
ance of  the  oratorio  in  i8ig. 

Too  many  difficulties  there  must  haUrt 
been ;  for,  instead  of  the  oratorio,  we  find 
this  to  be  the  programme  : 

THE   SECOND   CONCERT 
For  the  Benefit  of  the 

MUSICAL   FUND    SOCIETY 

OF   PHILADELPHIA 

will  be  given  on  Tuesday  Evening,  March  19th,  1822, 

at  the  Grand  Saloon,  Washington  Hall, 

commencing  at  7  o'clock  precisely. 

Mrs.  Burke  and  Mr.  Phillips  have  politely  offered  their 
assistance  on  this  occasion. 


LEADER,  MR.  HUPFELD. 

PART  I. 

Sinfonia 

Full  Band                       Romberg 

Song 

Mr.  Phillips  "Gentle  Airs" 

from  the  Oratorio  of  Athalia. 

79 

MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

Violoncello  obligate     Mr.  Gilles  Haendel. 

Duet     Mrs.  Burke  and  Mr.  Phillips  "  I  love  thee"  Bishop. 
Overture  to  Sophronista  Paer. 

PART  11. 

Concerto  for  Violin     Mr.  Hupfeld  Franzl. 

Song  Mr.  Phillips. 

Variations  on  "  Robin  Adair"  for  Violoncello. 
P.  Gilles,  composed  for  the 
Musical  Fund  Society  P.  Gilles. 

Overture  to  Demophon  Vogel. 

Polacca  Mrs.  Burke  "  Soldiers'  Rest"  Clifton. 

Finale  Full  Band. 

Tickets  for  the  Concert  are  for  sale  at  G.  E.  Blake's, 
13  South  5th  Street,  at  Bacon  &  Hart's,  No.  11  South 
4th  St.,  at  Willig's,  No.  171  Chestnut  Street,  and  Carey 
&  Lea's,  corner  Chestnut  and  Fourth  streets. 

Members  are  requested  to  call  for  their  Ladies' 
tickets  at  the  Hall  of  the  Society  on  Carpenters'  Court, 
on  Monday  between  10  and  2,  and  on  Tuesday  between 
10  &  5  o'clock. 

It  \vas  still  the  old-fashioned  kind  of  con- 
cert of  the  first  years  of  the  century, — a 
mass  of  ephemeral  and  local  "  celebrities" 
floated  by  sparse  mention  of  a  Handel, 
a  Mozart,  and  a  Paer.  But  the  directors 
reported  a  large  attendance  and  a  good 
reception. 

Mrs.  Burke  was  the  most  famous  Ameri- 
can singer  until  she  was  outrivalled  by  a 
Mrs.  French. 

80 


MUSICAL   FUND    SOCIETY 

The  loth  of  June  was  finally  set  for  the 
performance  of  "The  Creation,"  at  W^ash- 
ington  Hall.  Announcements  in  the  news- 
papers read  as  follows : 

«*  ORATORIO 

OF   THE   CREATION    OF   THE   WORLD 
BY    HAYDN. 

"  This  very  celebrated  work  will  be  performed  by 
the  Musical  Fund  Society  for  the  first  time  in  this  city 
on  Monday  next,  June  loth,  at  half  past  seven  o'crock 
in  the  evening  at  the  Washington  Hall. 

"  The  Society  has  spared  no  pains  to  make  this 
programme  as  perfect  as  possible.  The  parts  have 
been  in  the  course  of  preparation  and  rehearsal  for 
several  months,  and  the  vocal  and  instrumental  per- 
formers will  amount  to  upwards  of  loo. 

"  The  Society  will  be  generously  assisted  by  many 
Ladies  and  Gentlemen  not  of  their  number,  and  among 
these  they  have  particular  pleasure  in  being  able  to 
name  Mrs.  French. 

"  A  pamphlet  has  been  published,  containing  the 
words  of  the  oratorio,  with  notes  and  observations  on 
the  music,  principally  selected  from  the  various  Euro- 
pean authors,  who  have  written  on  this  great  composi- 
tion. 

"  Tickets  One  Dollar,  and  the  pamphlet  at  12^ 
cents,  may  be  had  at  the  music  stores  of  Messrs. 
Blake,  Willig,  Bacon  &  Hart,  Frederick  and  George 
Bacon,  No.  66  Chestnut  Street ;  and  at  the  book  stores 
of  Messrs.  Carey  &  Lea,  A.  Small,  and  of  Thomas  De 
Silver,  Market  Street,  of  Messrs.  Beck  &  Stewart,  and 
at  the  Hall  on  the  evening  of  performance." 

/  81 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

"MUSICAL    FUND    SOCIETY. 

"  The  Ladies  and  Gentlemen  engaged  in  the  per- 
formance of  the  Oratorio  on  Monday  Evening  are 
respectfully  requested  to  be  in  their  places  at  the 
orchestra  at  7  o'clock,  as  the  tuning  of  the  instruments 
will  begin  at  that  time. 

"  It  is  the  determination  of  the  conductors,  that  the 
performance  shall  commence  at  the  hour  appointed, 
half-past  seven." 

"MUSICAL   FUND    SOCIETY. 

"  The  members  are  informed  that  a  committee  will 
attend  at  the  Society's  Hall,  in  Carpenters'  Court,  on 
Thursday,  Friday,  Saturday,  and  Monday  next,  from 
10  until  I  o'clock  for  the  distribution  of  Ladies' 
Tickets  for  the  approaching  oratorio.  Those  amateur 
members  who  have  not  yet  taken  their  Tickets  for 
the  present  year  will  observe  that  there  is  due  an 
annual  contribution  of  five  dollars." 

The  title-page  of  the  pamphlet  above 
mentioned  is  as  follows  : 

THE    WORDS    OF 

the 

CREATION    OF   THE   ^VORLD, 

a 

SACRED    ORATORIO 

By  Joseph  Haydn 

as  performed  by 

the 

82 


MUSICAL   FUND    SOCIETY 

MUSICAL   FUND    SOCIETY 
of  Philadelphia, 

at  Washington  Hall,  June  loth,  1822, 

with 

Notes 

Critical  and  Explanatory,  a  memoir  of  Haydn,  etc. 

Philadelphia 

Printed  for  the  Musical  Fund  Society  by  T.  H.  PalMer 

1822. 

The  programme  announces  as  conductors : 

Vocal.  Instrumental. 

Benjamin  Carr  P.  Gilles 

Benjamin  Cross  Chas.  F.  Hupfeld 

Thomas  Loud  J.  G.  Klemm, 

as  Leader,  Mr.  Hupfeld. 

«•  Moreover,  on  this  occasion  the  orchestra  will  in- 
clude more  than  one  hundred  and  twenty  performers ; 
and  the  conductors  are  happy  to  inform  the  society 
that  Mrs.  French  has  politely  offered  her  valuable 
assistance." 

Mrs.  French  was  a  pupil  of  Benjamin 
Carr.  She  is  highly  praised  in  Dyer's  "  Col- 
lection of  Church  Music."  Her  triumph  was 
unquestioned.  The  newspapers,  in  their 
rivalry  of  homage,  frequently  "  dropped 
into  poetry"  over  her  power.  Of  all  these 
verses,  the  following  are  given  some  point 
by  the  accident  of  the  falling  of  part  of 
83 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

the  ceiling  at  Washington  Hall  during  one 
of  Mrs.  French's  concerts. 

"  'Tis  said  that  Orpheus  played  so  well 
He  raised  Eurydice  from  Hell ; 
And  St,  Cecilia  sang  so  clear 
That  angels  leaned  from  Heaven  to  hear. 

"  But  our  Cecilia  far  excels 
These  fabled  feats.     Her  trills  and  swells 
Enchant  the  vaulted  roofs  and  walls, 
Until  the  azure  ceiling  falls." 

When  it  came  to  rehearsing  the  "  Crea- 
tion," it  was  found  that  the  trombone  parts 
could  not  be  filled  by  musicians  of  the  city. 
Again  the  aid  of  the  music-loving  Mora- 
vians was  invoked.  Jedediah  and  Timothy 
Weiss  came  down  from  Bethlehem  with 
another  performer,  and  Jedediah  thus  de- 
scribes an  occurrence  at  one  of  the  re- 
hearsals :  "I  remember  well,  I  played  the 
bass  trombone ;  w^hen  the  recitative  was 
sung,  wherein  the  creation  of  the  lion  was 
described,  we,  the  trombonists,  blew  one 
long  note  of  four  quarters.  The  conductor 
rapped ;  all  became  silent.  The  part  was 
repeated  three  times,  with  the  same  result. 
One  of  the  performers  in  our  rear  was 
overheard  to  say,  '  What  folly  to  get 
country  folks  to  play  such  important  parts 
without  any  more  practice  than  a  last  re- 
84 


MUSICAL   FUND   SOCIETY 

hearsal.'  The  recitative  was  repeated  a 
fourth  time  with  the  same  result.  ^A^e 
then  did  not  know  that  they  had  stopped 
on  our  account.  Mr.  Hupfeld  then  came 
and  examined  our  notes,  and  proclaimed 
aloud,  '  They  are  right,  gentlemen !  the 
basses  must  hold  out  four  full  quarters.' 
They  had  played  short  notes  before.  Tne 
object  of  the  composer  was  to  imitate  the 
lion's  roar,  which  was  most  effectively  done 
by  long  notes  on  brass  instruments.  After 
the  performance  was  over,  one  of  the 
players,  a  German,  remarked  to  me,  *  You 
blay  veil  your  bart ;'  to  which  I  replied,  *  If 
they  give  us  nothing  more  difficult,  this  is 
easy  enough.'  I  did  not  let  him  know  that 
we  had  practised  our  parts  thoroughly  ere 
we  left  home."  At  the  concert,  it  is  related, 
these  trombone  players  were  the  objects  of 
the  greatest  curiosity.  Their  large  brass  in- 
struments were  a  novelty  in  a  Philadelphia 
orchestra;  few  had  ever  seen  them  before. 

Newspaper  comments  on  the  great  event 
are  doubly  interesting :  they  sho^v  the 
public  importance  of  the  concert,  and  the 
plane  of  journalistic  criticism.  On  the 
whole,  too,  they  reflect  best  the  actual  state 
of  public  appreciation.  "Poulson's  Daily 
Advertiser,"  of  June  lo,  1822,  says  inter 
alia:  "  So  imposing  a  display  of  beauty  and 
85 


MUSIC    IN    PHILADELPHIA 

fashion  has  seldom  been  witnessed  in  this 
city.  According  to  the  general  opinion  of 
those  who  are  judges  of  music  of  that  de- 
scription; this  great  piece,  never  attempted 
here  before,  was  well  got  up  and  finely  ex- 
ecuted. The  more  soft,  simple,  and  touch- 
ing parts  were  universally  admired.  We 
recognized  the  air  and  voice  of  our  favorite 
Mrs.  French,  with  peculiar  pleasure  in  the 
last  duet.  A  repetition  of  the  performance 
would  equally  contribute  to  the  improve- 
ment and  benefit  of  the  institution,  to  the 
diffusion  of  scientific  and  sublime  music, 
and  to  the  gratification  of  the  public  at 
large."  The  audience  was  reported  to 
number  from  eighteen  hundred  to  two 
thousand,  "  the  largest  ever  known  at  a 
musical  performance  in  this  city." 

One  notice,  by  the  naivete'  of  its  com- 
ment, tells  most  directly  of  the  taste  of  the 
day.  "  It  was  attended  by  a  numerous  and 
respectable  company  of  ladies  and  gentle- 
men, who  appeared  to  be  more  pleased 
than  it  was  expected  they  would  be.  Some, 
indeed,  were  heard  to  say  that,  '  if  they 
were  not  fearful  of  their  taste  being  called 
into  question,  they  w^ould  not  be  pleased  at 
all,'  and  it  may  be  supposed  that  others 
would  have  made  similar  declarations,  if 
they  had  been  equally  candid." 

86 


MUSICAL   FUND   SOCIETY 

It  ought,  however,  to  be  recollected  that 
they  were  unaccustomed  to  the  genus  to 
which  the  music  of  this  oratorio  belongs. 
Recitatives  to  any  extent  were  never  before 
introduced  at  our  concerts.  Chromatic 
and  enharmonic  passages  also  were  but 
sparingly  used,  the  simple  diatonic  being 
found  most  effective."  * 

The  high  standard  was  to  be  maintained 
resolutely.  The  directors  voted  that  the 
Serenata  of  "  Acis  and  Galatea,"  by  Handel, 
be  performed  at  the  first  concert  of  the 
ensuing  year,  instead  of  an  oratorio.  This 
was  not  done  ;  however  there  were  constant 
signs  of  the  strong  public  spirit  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Society. 

In  the  preceding  October,  Thomas  H. 
Palmer  made  an  offer  to  the  directors  of 
the  use  of  his  organ  until  the  end  of  the 
year.  Next  autumn  Dr.  Robert  M.  Patter- 
son presented  to  the  Society  three  vol- 
umes of  the  "  London  Quarterly  Musical 
Magazine."  At  a  meeting  in  the  follow- 
ing November  the  directors  of  music  re- 
ported to  the  Board  of  Managers  that  the 
oratorio  of  "The  Creation"  would  be 
ready  for  performance  in  three  weeks.  At 
this  meeting  George  Schetky  gave  the  use 
of  his  organ  for  the  approaching  occa- 
sion. Benjamin  Carr  offers  the  loan  of  his 
87 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

piano  at  a  meeting  in  1823  *'  for  the  ensu- 
ing concert." 

The  best  test  of  the  success  of  the  ora- 
torio concert  was  its  repetition  in  November 
of  the  same  year  in  answer  to  a  universal 
wish. 

The  general  opinion  in  which  the  young 
Society  w^as  held  is  shown  by  various  prop- 
ositions made  by  established  institutions. 
They  concerned  the  question  of  a  concert 
hall,  which  w^as  the  absorbing  problem. 
The  first  concerts  had  been  given  at  "Wash- 
ington Hall,  in  the  "Grand  Saloon,"  on 
Third  Street  above  Spruce.  This  building 
seems  to  have  resembled,  in  its  general 
plan,  the  hall  built  by  the  Society.  It  was 
probably  the  favorite  resort  for  concerts  and 
balls.  In  March,  1823,  "Washington  Hall* 
was  burned  to  the  ground.  Although  this 
event  put  the  Society  in  some  straits,  it 
undoubtedly  hastened,  if  it  did  not  cause, 
the  enterprise  which  completed  its  estab- 
lishment in  giving  it  a  home.  On  the  22d 
of  March  of  this  year,  a  meeting  of  the 
board  was  held,  at  which,  among  other 
things,  a  committee  reported  a  certificate 
of  an  act  of  the  legislature,  incorporating 

*  Strictly  the  hall  of  the  Washington  Benevolent 
Society. 

88 


MUSICAL   FUND    SOCIETY 

the  Musical  Fund  Society  of  Philadelphia. 
At  this  meeting  there  was  appointed  a 
committee  to  inquire  into  the  expediency 
of  building  a  hall  for  the  Society.  The 
necessity  was  urgent.  The  only  hall  which 
could  be  used  for  concerts  was  the  Chestnut 
Street  Theatre,  near  Fifth  Street,  for  which 
the  rent  of  an  evening  was  at  that  time 
two  hundred  dollars.  The  theatre  was,  in 
fact,  engaged  for  the  next  concert,  which 
■was  given  in  April,  1823,  with  this  announce- 
ment: 

The  Third  Miscellaneous 

CONCERT 

of  the  Musical  Fund  Society  of 

Philadelphia 

will  be  given  at  the  New  Theatre  on  Thursday 

evening  the  24th  inst. 

Leader,  Mr.  Hupfeld. 

Then  follows  the  programme,  of  which 
the  first  number  was  Mozart's  overture  to 
"  Figaro."  Further  down  is  a  chorus  of 
Mozart  used  for  ^vords  on  the  landing  of 
Columbus.  There  is  a  Haydn  Sinfonia, 
which  was  certainly  not  a  symphony.  The 
rest  is  made  up  of  concertos  for  violin  and 
for  violoncello,  and  of  songs  by  English 
composers ;  the  day  of  the  Italians  had  not 
yet  come.  But  the  report  in  May  showed 
a  large  gain  from  concerts. 
89 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

In  this  connection  it  may  be  mentioned 
that  the  first  case  of  relief  was  favorably 
reported  at  the  stated  meeting  on  July  i. 
In  recommending  a  pension  of  two  hundred 
dollars  a  year  to  one  highly  distinguished 
in  his  profession,  the  committee  could  not 
"withhold  an  expression  of  satisfaction 
that  so  conspicuous  a  proof  of  the  useful- 
ness of  our  institution  has  been  presented 
by  the  incident,  and  that  the  honor  has  been 
reserved  for  the  Society,  of  comforting  the 
age  and  relieving  the  distress  of  one  of  the 
first  and  most  honored  among  the  profes- 
sional men  of  our  country." 

The  question  of  a  permanent  hall  was 
still  unsolved.  There  was  a  thought  of 
holding  the  concerts  exclusively  for  the 
private  entertainment  of  members.  The 
"Fourth  Miscellaneous  Concert"  was  given 
at  the  "New  Theatre"  again,  in  March, 
1824,  with  a  programme  much  like  the  last 
one.  Rossini's  "Overture  to  Tancred"  ap- 
pears "by  particular  request."  But,  evi- 
dently, the  serious  ambition  of  the  Society 
was  what  were  called  "oratorio  concerts." 
In  April  of  this  year  it  was  decided  to  an- 
nounce in  the  newspapers  that  "the  Society 
indulge  the  hope  that  in  the  course  of  the 
next  season,  they  will  be  enabled  to  present 
to  the  public  some  of  the  works  of  the  im- 
90 


MUSICAL   FUND    SOCIETY 

mortal  Handel,  both  sacred  and  secular,  by 
the  performance  of  The  Grand  Dettingen 
Te  Deum,  and  the  Serenata  of  Acis  and 
Galatea.  ..." 

One  of  the  above-mentioned  offers  came 
from  the  vestry  of  St.  Andrew's  Chu*th, 
of  the  use  of  the  church  for  oratorio  in 
consideration  of  the  right  to  hold  certain 
rehearsals  of  the  church  chorus  in  the 
practising  hall  (Carpenters')  of  the  Society. 
The  Society  allowed  the  latter  without 
claiming  the  former. 

Another  proposition  seems  to  have  come 
from  none  other  than  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania.  At  a  meeting  in  April  the 
Building  Committee  was  directed  to  confer 
with  a  committee  of  the  trustees  of  the 
University  "upon  the  subject  of  a  building, 
proposed  to  be  erected,  with  authority  to 
devise  a  plan  for  uniting  the  efforts  of  both 
institutions  for  that  purpose."  From  a  later 
report  it  appears  that  the  trustees  finally 
declined  to  co-operate  with  the  Society  in 
building  a  hall. 

The  next  refuge  during  the  homeless 
period  was  St.  Stephen's  Church,  in  which 
the  third  performance  of  "The  Creation" 
was  given  by  the  Society  in  April,  1824. 

The  advertisement  reads  strangely  to 
our  conception  of  early  church  traditions. 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

"The  orchestra,"  it  was  promised,  "will 
be  as  complete  as  at  the  performance  in 
the  Washington  Hall  in  1822,  and,  to  pre- 
vent inconvenience  from  the  church  being 
crowded,  the  number  of  tickets  for  sale  will 
be  limited." 

A  sign  of  the  ambitious  attitude  of  the 
Society  in  the  early  years  is  the  appoint- 
ment of  a  "committee  to  inquire  into  the 
expediency  of  contributing  a  fund  for  the 
distribution  of  premiums  for  original  com- 
positions by  members  of  the  Society." 


92 


MUSICAL   FUND   SOCIETY 


CHAPTER   VI.      BUILDING   OF   THE 
HALL.  ^ 

^^H^^^HE  great  undertaking  vvas  defi- 
^    I  nitely  set  in  motion  at  a  meet- 

■       1  ing  in   April,  1824.     A  loan   of 

^^^^^  $10,000  was  authorized;  details 
^^^^  were  provided  for  payment  of 
interest  and  principal  from  the  perfected 
income.  The  committee  were  permitted  to 
pledge  the  hall  and  lot  by  mortgage.  Next 
month  it  was  resolved  to  recommend  to  the 
Committee  on  Finance  to  invest  in  the  loan 
the  amount  of  the  permanent  fund  and  a 
part  of  the  contingent.  The  lot  which  was 
in  view^  and  finally  bought  was  that  occu- 
pied by  the  corporation  known  as  the  Fifth 
I  Presbyterian  Church.     Theirs  was  a  queer- 

shaped  building,  with  a  circular  front  on 
Locust  Street.  From  its  appearance  it  was 
often  called  the  D  meeting-house.  Between 
the  building  and  the  street  was  a  green 
sward,  with  some  dozen  tombstones.  On 
the  west  side,  at  the  corner  of  Blackberry 
Alley,  was  a  two-story  parsonage,  which 
^vas  not  destroyed  with  the  church  building. 
The  surroundings,  it  seems,  were  consid- 
93 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

ered   objectionable    by  the   members.      On 
the  site  was  built  the  Musical  Fund  Hall. 

On  May  15,  1824,  the  building  committee 
presented  a  plan  for  the  hall,  which  was  ap- 
proved. The  credit  of  designing  a  concert 
hall  which  is  not  surpassed  for  acoustic 
excellence,  belongs  to  William  Strickland. 
One  of  the  original  members  of  the  Society, 
he  was  from  the  beginning  undoubtedly 
the  controlling  counsellor  in  the  matter  of 
building.  The  Society  had  at  the  outset 
the  good  fortune  of  enrolling  prominent 
professional  men  on  its  list.  One  of  the 
most  distinguished  of  these  was  the  painter 
Thomas  Sully,  who  was  regularly  called 
upon  to  make  the  portraits  of  those  who 
had  deserved  well  of  the  Society.  To  have 
an  inscribed  monument  in  St.  Peter's 
church-yard,  and  one's  portrait  painted 
by  Thomas  Sully,  were  the  highest  honors 
within  the  dreams  of  a  member.  Physi- 
cians are  perhaps  most  prominent  of  all 
professions.  The  early  presidents  were 
doctors.  Lawyers  are  not  far  behind  in 
capturing  the  offices.  The  first  two  secre- 
taries were  members  of  the  bar.  Names 
well  known  in  finance  appear  early  on  the 
list  of  members.  Indeed,  the  roll  of  names 
throughout  the  period  of  the  Society's  bril- 
liant activity  seems  to  represent  very  fairly 
94 


MUSICAL   FUND    SOCIETY 

the  best  citizens,  in  their  various  lines,  a 
true  aristocracy,  not  a  conventional.  The 
even  distribution  of  names  among  the  sev- 
eral professions  is  no  weak  test  of  the 
homogeneous  quality  of  musical  taste  and 
culture.  It  is  very  doubtful  if  to-day  the 
love  of  music  is  equally  wide-spread.  There 
could  have  been  in  those  days  none  of  the 
pride  in  musical  ignorance  w^hich  it  is  com- 
mon to  see  boasted.  On  the  other  hand, 
musical  cliques  were  probably  less  marked. 

With  a  strange  absence  of  flourish  and 
festivity  the  first  concert  in  the  new  hall 
was  given  on  December  29,  1824.  But  the 
high  worth  of  the  programme  seems  all  the 
greater.  On  the  line  of  composers'  names 
Handel  stands  four  times,  Mozart  twice. 
The  long-promised  "  Dettingen  Te  Deum" 
filled  all  of  Part  I.  A  little  book  comes 
down  to  us  w^hich  may  have  been  in  lieu  of 
a  programme  or  in  supplement.  It  is  clad 
in  the  plainest  of  stout  blue  paper.  But 
the  type  is  clear,  strong,  well  varied,  and 
perfect.  We  should  like  to  give  more  than 
the  title-page. 

The 

WORDS 

of  the 

DETTINGEN    TE    DEUM 

of 

HAENDEL 

95 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

and  of  a 

Miscellaneous  Act 

of 

Vocal  and  Instrumental  Music 

as  performed  by  the 

MUSICAL    FUND    SOCIETY 

of 

Philadelphia 

At  the  Opening  of  their  new  Hall,  December  29th,  1824. 

With  Notes 

Critical  and  Explanatory,  &c. 

Philadelphia 

Published  for  the  Musical  Fund  Society 

by  T.  DeSilver. 

1824. 

W^e  are  sure  there  can  be  nothing  new. 
What  we  think  the  very  latest  fashion  in 
programmes  is  here  anticipated  to  the  last 
dot  of  detail.  ^A^ith  the  words  are  ap- 
pended finely  analytic  comments,  w^ritten 
with  learning  and  imagination,  covering 
every  phrase  of  the  music,  just  as  they  ap- 
pear on  the  most  modern  of  concert  books. 
The  whole  is  composed  in  the  most  serious 
vein,  but  with  great  simplicity.  The  only 
allusion  to  the  occasion  of  the  opening  of 
the  hall  is  concealed  towards  the  end  of  an 
account  of  the  Te  Deum :  "The  Board  of 
Directors  of  the  Music,  delegated  by  the 
Musical  Fund  Society,  to  arrange  their  pub- 
96 


MUSICAL   FUND   SOCIETY 

lie  concerts,  conceived  that  they  could  not 
make  a  better  selection  for  a  public  per- 
formance of  a  Society,  ostensibly  formed 
to  improve  the  public  taste  in  the  higher 
branches  of  this  art,  than  by  the  choice  of 
a  work  that  has  stood  the  test  of  nearly  a 
century  of  years.  .  .  .  At  the  same  time 
the  chaunting  forth  of  praises  to  the  Great 
Supreme,  in  strains  as  exalted  as  these, 
naturally  leads  the  mind  to  contemplate 
that  providence  which  has  aided  an  infant 
society,  formed  for  the  laudable  purpose  of 
cultivating  a  delightful  art,  and  of  extending 
benevolence  to  our  fellow -creature,  so  far 
as  to  enable  it  to  struggle  through  its  first 
difficulties  and  eventually  to  raise  a  noble 
structure,  alike  ornamental  and  honorable  to 
this  city.  It  may  then,  in  a  humble  sense, 
be  considered  as  a  consecration  anthem  for 
the  most  capacious  saloon  in  the  American 
continent,  and  the  first  and  only  one  devoted 
to  musical  science."  .  .  . 

Various  impressions  come  from  further 
reading.  Handel  must  have  been  sung  and 
studied  in  the  city  to  an  extent  that  would 
probably  be  surprising.  But  the  land- 
marks of  musical  criticism  and  estimate 
are  amusing,  even  startling.  For  example, 
in'  a  voluminous  subnote,  we  are  told  that 
"  Purcell  is  as  much  the  boast  of  England  in 

g  97 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

music  as  Shakespeare  in  the  drama."  .  .  . 
Most  interesting  to  thinkers  on  musical 
history  must  be  the  note  on  the  *'  period 
that  the  modern  school  of  composition 
began.  It  has  been  generally  dated  from 
Handel;  by  some  from  Purcell;  as  they, 
certainly,  more  than  their  predecessors, 
added  the  charms  of  melody  to  the  beauty 
of  harmony;  some,  for  the  same  reason, 
go  as  far  back  as  Ralestria  (Palaestrina  ?) 
...  or  Carissimi.  .  .  .  Others  with  more 
propriety  date  at  the  period  immediately 
subsequent  to  Handel;  and  undoubtedly 
Bach  and  Abel,  in  their  overtures,  Bocche- 
rini  in  his  Quartetts  and  Quintetts  (1766), 
Gallupi  in  his  operas  (1746)  and  Clementi 
in  his  '  Piano-Forte  Sonatas'  (1772)  changed 
the  style.  .  .  .  Perhaps  it  might  not  be 
>vide  of  the  mark  to  date  from  1500  ...  to 
1700,  for  the  old  school ;  from  then  to  1800, 
the  middle  school ;  from  then  to  the  present 
time  (embracing  the  labors  of  Beethoven, 
Reis,  Cherubini,  Romberg,  etc.)  as  the 
modern  school,  leaving  the  three  great 
names  of  Handel,  Haydn,  and  Mozart  as 
the  splendid  luminaries  of  their  respective 
periods."  ^A/'hat  a  jumble  of  perspective 
in  an  equal  linking  of  Bach  and  Abel,  and 
of  poor  Beethoven  with  Reis  and  Romberg. 
It  is  clear,  too,  that  Beethoven  was  not 
98 


MUSICAL   FUND   SOCIETY 

thought  of  in  the  same  plane  ^vith  Mozart ; 
perhaps  because  he  was  almost  a  contem- 
porary. They  are  probably  misappreciated 
in  the  same  ratio  as  were  later  Mendelssohn 
and  Schumann.  There  are  some  news- 
paper comments  on  the  concert. 

"  On  Wednesday  evening  the  grand  saloon  in  the 
elegant  building  erected  by  the  Musical  Fund  Society 
in  Locust  Street  was  opened  for  the  Society's  first 
concert  this  season,  which  was  graced  by  the  appear- 
ance of  a  crowded  and  brilliant  audience  of  about 
five  hundred  gentlemen  and  eight  hundred  ladies, 
including  a  great  portion  of  the  fashion,  beauty,  and 
taste  of  our  city. 

"  The  room  is  exceedingly  neat,  and  its  decoration 
does  honor  to  the  taste  of  Mr.  Strickland,  an  architect 
of  whom  Philadelphia  may  be  justly  proud.  It  is  truly 
simplex  tnunditiis.  It  is  one  hundred  and  six  feet  long, 
sixty  wide,  and  twenty-six  high,  and  is  admirably  cal- 
culated for  the  conveyance  of  sound.  .  .  .  Gentlemen 
who  have  visited  most  parts  of  Europe  declare  they 
have  never  been  in  a  room  superior  in  this  respect,  and 
in  few  equals.  The  orchestra  (balcony)  at  the  north 
end  is  judiciously  arranged,  so  as  to  afford  a  satis- 
factory view  of  the  performers  to  the  auditors  at  the 
other  extremity. 

"...  The  second  Act  was  a  melange,  better  suited 
to  the  general  taste  than  the  first,  as  it  consisted  of  a 
rich  variety  of  selections,  made  with  great  skill  and 
judgment. 

"...  The  band  (chorus  ?)  was  very  powerful,  con- 
sisting of  about  eighty  gentlemen  and  twenty  ladies, 
amateurs." 

99 


MUSIC   IN   PHILADELPHIA 

From  the  first  report  of  the  Building 
Committee  it  appears  that  the  corner-stone 
was  laid  on  May  25,  1824 ;  on  the  4th  of  No- 
vember of  the  same  year  the  first  practising 
was  held  in  the  lower  rooms.  The  building 
was  completely  finished  on  December  24. 
Of  Strickland,  the  architect,  the  committee 
say  that  he  executed  his  "important  trust 
with  the  greatest  faithfulness  and  ability." 
The  actual  cost  of  the  building 

was $12,968.56, 

of  the  lot     ......     .         7,500.00, 

of  the  furniture 2,219.51, 

of  incidentals 859.01, 

making  the  total       ....     $23,547.08. 

This  amount  was  covered  in  approximately 
equal  portions  by  a  loan,  for  which  shares 
were  issued,  and  by  a  mortgage.  From  the 
beginning  the  rooms  were  rented  success- 
fully. Before  long  the  income  from  this 
source  alone  was  no  inconsiderable  propor- 
tion of  the  original  outlay.  In  this  first  re- 
port the  committee  could  say  that,  as  the 
rent  covered  the  annual  interest,  the  Society 
had  the  use  of  the  building  free  of  cost. 
Before  its  completion  the  Masonic  Hall  and 
"Washington  Hall  had  been  the  principal 
places  for  concerts  and  balls ;  but  the  new 
and  beautiful  saloon  of  the  Musical  Fund 
100 


MUSICAL   FUND   SOCtfi'fY 

Hall,  with  its  wonderful  acoustic  quality, 
soon  made  it  the  most  popular  place  for 
the  best  kind  of  all  entertainments.  Built 
to  satisfy  the  needs  of  the  Society,  it  un- 
doubtedly reacted  on  the  musical  life  ot 
the  community  by  attracting  all  the  famous 
virtuosi  of  the  time.  University  and  col- 
lege commencements  were  regularly  held 
there.  Now  to  the  reader  of  its  pro- 
grammes pass  in  sight,  as  in  a  camera 
obscura,  the  principal  figures  in  the  public 
view, — besides  musicians,  many  of  the  lead- 
ing orators  and  statesmen. 


xox 


iVldSTC   IN    PklLADELPHIA 


CHAPTER  VII.     EARLY  PLANS  AND 
EXPERIMENTS   OF   THE   SOCIETY. 

mOTHING  was  stipulated  in 
the  constitution  or  by-laws 
of  the  Society  in  regard  to 
the  number  of  concerts  to  be 
given  or  about  their  nature. 
The  double  aim  of  financial  relief  and  the 
improvement  of  musical  taste  w^as  stated 
in  analogy  with  the  t^vo  classes  of  pro- 
fessional and  amateur  members;  and  the 
Committee  on  Music,  or  the  Directors  of 
the  Music  were  "  especially  charged  with 
the  suggestion  of  such  measures"  as  might 
promote  the  latter  object.  The  average 
number  of  concerts  during  the  early  period 
was  two  a  year.  Sometimes  there  were 
more  ;  sometimes  none. 

A  very  important  adjunct  from  the  be- 
ginning was  the  orchestra,  which  was 
always  efficient  in  the  quality,  if  not  in  the 
number  of  its  force.  Largely  professional, 
there  seems  to  have  been  no  bar  to  the 
co-operation  of  amateur  members.  None 
of  its  institutions  was  more  essential  to 
the  musical  independence  and  influence  of 


ZSZGKTH  CONCERT 

OF  THE 

or 

PHILADELPHIA. 

TO  TAKE  PLACE  IN  THEIR  HALL 

oir 

TUESDAY,  MARCH  22, 1825. 

PLAN  OF  TKE  CONCZSEIT. 

PART  I. 

Overture,  De  la  fete  du  village  voisin.  -    -    -  -    -    BoielSeu 
Duett.                 REST  HOLY  PILGRIM.  E.  Phelps 

Rest  holy  pilgrim !  rest  I  pray,  y^  ^ /J,  J^  j^  ^ 
Dreary,  to  Mecca's  shrine's  the  way.        '^      t?    /i 

O!  deign  a  Hermit's  hut  to  share,  t^r^  Ctc  If  • 
^            Nor  proudly  spurn  his  homely  fare.  // 


.  ^ 


MUSICAL   FUND   SOCIETY 

the  Society.  This  was  felt  by  the  directors 
and  by  the  prominent  professional  mem- 
bers. Unfortunately  the  furor  for  famous 
singers,  chiefly  of  the  Italian  school, 
spoiled  the  general  appreciation  for  the 
great  instrumental  works  of  the  German 
masters.  From  the  beginning,  too,  there 
was  a  chorus  consisting  mostly  of  amateur 
members.  This  was  an  expression,  in 
more  than  one  sense,  of  that  healthy  desire 
for  the  great  oratorios  of  Handel  and 
Haydn.  The  first  triumphs  of  the  Society 
^vere  earned  and  oft  repeated  in  perform- 
ances of  the  "  Creation."  Later  the  **  Mes- 
siah" and  the  "Seasons"  were  given. 
From  a  critical  stand-point,  perhaps,  the 
soundest  taste  in  the  community  prevailed 
in  the  first  quarter  of  the  century,  although 
there  -was  least  pretence  or  consciousness 
of  being  in  the  fashion.  There  is  a  queer 
old  leaf  from  the  "eighth  concert,"  of 
Tuesday,  March  22,  1825,  in  fine,  substan- 
tial old  type,  where  the  names  of  the 
singers  had  to  be  supplied  in  ink.  Chief  of 
these  was  Elizabeth  Jefferson  Fisher,  the 
Miss  Jefferson  of  the  famous  actor  family, 
an  aunt  of  our  own  Rip  Van  Winkle.  The 
concert  was  one  of  the  last  before  the 
Italian  period.  First  comes  an  overture  by 
Boieldieu ;  later  another  by  Mehul ;  a  third 
103 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

by  Paer;  the  last  two,  examples  of  the 
purest  of  that  sober  age.  Interspersed  are 
such  perennial  songs  as  Bishop's  "  Bid 
me  Discourse."  Not  since  then  have 
singers  had  the  courage  to  bring  the 
English  song-classics  back  to  the  concert 
stage. 

Largely  with  a  view  to  the  improve- 
ment of  the  orchestra,  partly,  perhaps,  in  a 
spirit  of  ambitious  venture,  a  committee 
reported,  in  May,  1825,  in  favor  of  estab- 
lishing a  school  of  music,  which,  "  owing 
to  the  progressive  decay  of  our  orchestra, 
has  become  almost  necessary  to  our  exist- 
ence." It  w^as  intended  largely  as  a  feeder 
of  instrumental  material.  The  plan  was 
rapidly  set  in  motion.  In  December  the 
"Committee  on  the  Academy  of  Music" 
made  a  final  report,  saying  that  it  had 
begun  on  the  12th  of  September  with  two 
departments, — one  for  violins,  'cellos,  and 
bass,  the  other  for  wind  instruments. 
Teachers  ^vere  engaged  at  regular  salaries. 
In  the  mean  time,  in  June,  had  been  given 
the  ninth  concert,  very  much  like  the  one 
last  described.  The  tenth  was  "  The  Crea- 
tion," and  the  eleventh  a  fine  blending  of 
Paer,  Haydn,  Beethoven,  and  Boccherini, 
with  some  good  songs.  Of  this  kind  of 
evening  there  were  too  many  to  mention. 
Z04 


MUSICAL   FUND    SOCIETY 

These  were  really  the  good  old  times  for 
musical  taste.  One  concert  in  particular 
was  given  on  July  19,  1825,  in  aid  of  some 
"Hospitable  Society."  There  is  a  Gluck 
overture  and  seven  Handel  numbers :  airs 
and  choruses. 

Miss  Jefferson  sang  again ;  it  was  the 
time  of  Lafayette's  second  visit.  The 
managers  of  the  Society  requested  a  com- 
mittee to  invite  him  to  attend  the  concert. 
Lafayette  wrote  in  answer : 

"  New  York,  July  6th,  1825. 
"I   do  not  think  it  will  be  in  my  power  to  reach 
Philadelphia  before  the  end  of  next  week.     The  con- 
cert might  then  take  place  on  some   early  day  of  the 
week  following.    I  anticipate  much  pleasure  the  moment  ^ 

I  can  offer  you  in  person  the  affectionate  regard  of 
your  sincere  friend. 

"  LAFAYETTE." 

All  of  this  was  printed,  with  the  pro- 
gramme, as  an  announcement  of  the  con- 
cert. The  details  of  Lafayette's  visit  are 
known.  He  attended  the  concert,  and,  \ve 
are  told,  attracted  much  attention. 

In  the  spirit  of  the  "Academy"  other 
plans  were  considered.  In  1826  the  trustees 
of  the  latter  recommended  the  establish- 
ment of  a  vocal  class. 

A  resolution  passed  "  that  a  musical  jour- 
nal, to  be  published  in  quarterly  numbers  of 
105 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

about  100  pages  each,  be  established  under 
the  patronage  of  this  Society,  provided  that 
a  reasonable  assurance  can  be  obtained 
that  its  publication  will  not  infringe  on  the 
funds  of  the  Society."  The  next  step  was 
a  proposition  to  the  Academy  of  Fine  Arts 
to  join  in  the  enterprise.  The  title  was 
to  be 

THE   AMERICAN  JOURNAL 
of  the 

FINE   ARTS 

Conducted  by  a  Joint  Committee 

of  the 

Pennsylvania  Academy  of  Fine  Arts 

and  the 

Musical  Fund  Society  of  Philadelphia. 

The  subjects  of  which  the  journal  shall  consist  shall 
be  Music,  Poetry,  Painting,  Sculpture,  Engraving,  and 
Architecture.  The  journal  to  be  conducted  by  a  joint 
committee  of  six  members,  etc.  etc. 

The  directors  of  the  **  Academy"  agreed  to 
the  plan.  Committees  were  appointed;  all 
formal  steps  were  taken.  For  some  reason 
this  idea,  so  beautiful  in  conception,  was 
never  realized.  Perhaps  it  was  smothered 
in  the  pomp  of  preparatory  detail. 

The  orchestra  and  the  chorus  were  per- 
manent institutions.  On  every  programme 
xo6 


MUSICAL   FUND    SOCIETY 

there  was  an  imposing  array  of  conductors^ 
for  example : 

Instrumental.  —  Messrs.  Hommann,  Sr., 
Hupfeld,  and  Le  Roy. 

Vocal. — Messrs.  B.  Carr,  Cross,  and  T. 
Loud. 

Leader. — Mr.  Hupfeld. 

In  the  high  hopes  for  the  fruits  of  the 
"Academy,"  the  Society  engaged  Adolph 
Schmitz,  a  Diisseldorf  musician,  to  come 
to  Philadelphia  and  take  charge  of  the  third 
class  in  the  "Academy."  Mr.  Schmitz  be- 
came a  distinguished  teacher  in  the  city. 
Here  is  a  single  instance  ^vhere  the  Society 
was  the  cause  of  a  great  musical  gain  to  the 
city,  directly  in  the  elder  Schmitz,  indirectly 
in  the  younger,  who  soon  became  foremost 
among  the  local  musicians. 

Outside  of  the  regular  and  special  concerts 
given  under  the  management  of  the  direc- 
tors were,  of  course,  a  long  line  of  virtuosi 
who  rented  the  hall  on  their  own  enterprise. 
One  of  the  first,  in  more  than  the  sense  of 
time,  of  the  brilliant  Italian  singers  who 
trod  the  boards  of  our  hall  in  their  trium- 
phal processions,  was  Madame  Malibran, 
who  sang  on  June  i6,  1827,  under  the  name 
of  Signorina.  In  the  newspapers  the  an- 
nouncement was  of 

107 


MUSIC    IN    PHILADELPHIA 

SIGNORINA'S    CONCERT. 

The  programme  was  surprisingly  good. 
Of  instrumental  numbers  three  were  by 
Haydn,  one  by  Mozart.  Signorina  sang 
Gluck's  "Che  faro;"  Mozart's  "  Batti 
batti;"  and  Rossini's  **  Di  tanti  palpiti," 
and  some  other  songs.  Malibran  was  so 
much  pleased  with  the  acoustic  virtues  of 
the  saloon  that,  when  the  concert  -was 
over,  she  walked  up  and  down  extemporiz- 
ing, while  Da  Coninck,  who  *'  presided  at 
the  piano,"  played  an  accompaniment. 

At  the  second  of  the  "  Signorina"  con- 
certs, however,  seven  of  the  ten  numbers 
were  from  Rossini. 

The  Garcia  Opera  Troupe,  under  the 
management  of  Manuel  Garcia,  father  of 
Madame  Malibran,  was  the  first  to  intro- 
duce Italian  opera  in  the  United  States. 
The  experiment  was  considered  problemati- 
cal, and,  in  fact,  the  opera  failed  as  a  finan- 
cial venture.  But  the  personal  triumph  of 
Malibran  was  unquestioned,  and,  in  striking 
exception,  it  preceded  her  successful  debut 
in  Europe.  The  essence  of  her  power,  so 
far  as  we  may  gather  at  second  hand,  must 
have  lain  in  the  sensitiveness  of  a  tempera- 
ment which  would  prompt  her  on  the  stage 
to  the  most  daring  feats  of  improvisation  in 
cadences.  It  was  in  a  memorable  contest 
io8 


MUSICAL   FUND    SOCIETY 

with  Caradori  Allen,  in  Manchester,  Eng- 
land, that  a  supreme  effort  was  thought  by 
some  to  have  caused  her  death,  which  fol- 
lowed soon  after.  At  any  rate  it  was  her 
swan  song.  To  complete  our  picture  of  this 
concert  in  its  reality,  we  must  import  a 
prosaic  element  from  the  notice  in  Poulson's 
"Daily  Advertiser:"  "  Nearly  all  the  seats  in 
the  lower  tier  and  a  great  part  of  the  second 
tier  of  boxes  were  occupied  by  ladies  in 
full  dress,  which  gave  great  brilliancy  to 
the  house,  however  badly  supported  by  the 
gloomy  and  dreary  light.  It  is  much  to  be 
desired  that  our  enterprising  manager  .  .  . 
will,  in  the  future,  remedy  that  evil,  by 
substituting  gas-light  ...  or  add  a  large 
middle  chandelier  to  the  present  order." 
Gas  was  not  introduced  in  the  hall,  however, 
until  ten  years  later,  in  September,  1837. 

The  old  concerts  still  went  on.  The 
great  event  of  1828  was  the  production  of 
the  '*  Messiah."  The  glowing  reports  in  the 
"  United  States  Gazette"  and  in  the  "  Daily 
Advertiser"  are  not  reflected  in  the  annual 
report  of  that  year,  where  there  is  some 
grumbling  about  the  great  expense  of  the 
concert.  In  a  programme  of  December  of 
this  year  some  of  the  newer  romantic  music 
has  crept  in  :  Beethoven's  "  Egmont"  over- 
ture, and  Weber's  "Hunters'  Chorus"  from 
109 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

the  *' Freischutz."  Below  we  had  almost 
missed  a  strange  old  warning,  w^hich  yet 
looks  curiously  new :  "  The  concert  will 
begin  at  7  o'clock,  precisely. 

**  To  prevent  an  inconvenience  that  has 
formerly  been  complained  of,  it  is  most  re- 
spectfully requested  that  ladies  attending 
the  concert  will  avoid  wearing  large  bonnets 
or  high  head-dresses." 

During  the  remainder  of  this  decade  the 
periodical  concerts  and  the  annual  reports 
continue  in  much  the  same  w^ay.  The  latter 
are  at  first  full  of  self-congratulation,  later 
they  settle  down  to  a  less  fulsome  self- 
content.  Suddenly,  in  April,  1831,  the  disil- 
lusionment is  faced.  The  committee  on  the 
"Academy"  "are  obliged  to  state  that  the 
number  paying  for  and  receiving  instruction 
.  .  .  amount  to  no  more  than  twelve.  .  .  . 
This  great  diminution  .  .  .  the  committee 
cannot  satisfactorily  account  for.  They  are, 
however,  satisfied  that  it  is  not  owing  to  an 
inherent  defect  in  it,  but  to  casual  and  extrin- 
sic circumstances.  It  will,  however,  occa- 
sion a  considerable  expense  to  the  Society, 
which,  in  the  present  state  of  the  finances, 
it  would  have  been  very  desirable  to  have 
avoided."  Still  the  committee  think  the 
"Academy"  ought  to  continue. 

But  a  year  later  the  discontent  is  more 
no 


MUSICAL   FUND   SOCIETY 

frank  and  more  fundamental.  The  whole 
tone  is  regretful.  It  begins  with  a  discus- 
sion of  the  two  controlling  aims  of  the 
Society.  One  of  the  troubles  seems  to  have 
been  a  poor  attendance  of  the  "  profes- 
sors" at  the  "practisings,"  w^hich  had  fallen 
out  of  repute.  Reproachfully  the  progress 
is  recounted  of  public  taste  under  the  in- 
fluence of  the  Society,  and,  impliedly,  the 
increased  benefit  to  professional  musicians. 
**  The  Community  of  Philadelphia  was  not 
at  that  time  (twelve  years  before)  so  criti- 
cally informed  of  the  merits  of  musical 
performances  as  they  have  since  become. 
Public  concerts  had  for  many  years  been  in 
disrepute.  Instrumental  pieces  of  whatever 
merit  were  not  listened  to,  and  the  time 
which  they  occupied  v^as  generally  appro- 
priated to  fashionable  conversation.  The 
private  musical  soirees,  which  are  now  so 
numerous,  were  rarely  thought  of.  The  pri- 
mary object  of  the  Society  was  to  reform 
the  state  of  neglect  into  which  the  beautiful 
art  of  music  had  fallen.  That  object  it  has 
effected  entirely  and  beyond  a  question. 
Nothing  can  be  more  unlike  than  the  present 
conduct  and  opinions  of  the  people  of  Phila- 
delphia in  all  that  relates  to  music  and  their 
conduct  and  opinions  twelve  years  ago." 
Here  it  is  shown  how  the  second  object,  the 
III 


/ 


MUSIC   IN   PHILADELPHIA 

provision  of  a  relief  fund,  has  been  fulfilled. 
"Yet,"  they  frankly  continue,  "the  Society 
is  on  the  decline,"  speaking  from  a  purely 
financial  stand-point.  Finally,  they  object 
"to  appropriating  any  longer  %']Q0  per  ayinum 
to  keep  up  the  school  with  the  expense  ex- 
ceeding the  receipts  by  the  amount."  In 
July,  action  was  taken  in  accordance  with 
this  report.  Thus  ends  the  "  Academy." 
Its  story  pathetically  shows  the  high  ambi- 
tion of  the  founders.  Their  aim  was  pre- 
cisely right  for  the  establishment  of  the  best 
kind  of  performances  by  the  perfection  of  a 
local  orchestra.  But  this  part  of  the  So- 
ciety's work  was  least  supported  by  the 
public.  Besides,  the  idea  of  an  annexed 
school  for  the  exclusive  purpose  of  devel- 
oping an  orchestra  involved  means  quite  out 
of  proportion  to  the  aim.  Still  the  aim  must 
always  be  higher  than  the  gain. 

Together  with  this  change,  others  were 
soon  adopted.  The  most  important  were 
the  reduction  of  the  musical  session  from 
eight  to  six  months ;  abolishing  of  the  prac- 
tisings ;  in  lieu  of  the  former  sixteen  prac- 
tisings,  an  additional  public  concert  and 
three  private  "soirees"  were  provided. 

The  first  great  loss  of  the  Society  hap- 
pened in  May,  1831,  in  the  death  of  Benja- 
min Carr.  The  tributes  paid  him  have  been 
described  in  an  earlier  chapter. 


MUSICAL   FUND    SOCIETY 


CHAPTER   VIII.      FIGURES    OF   THE 
TIME. 


m 


E  come  now  to  the  period 
1830-40.  Musically  it  is 
not  specially  important. 
I  propose,  therefore, that 
^ve  transform  ourselves 
into  some  insect — a  spider,  say — harbored 
in  a  corner  of  the  hall,  with  a  good  view 
of  the  stage,  and  out  of  danger  from  the 
janitor.  ^Vithout  admission  ticket,  with  a 
sort  of  stolen  life-membership,  we  can  then 
watch  all  the  figures  as  they  come  and 
go ;  on  the  platform,  in  the  strain  and  dig- 
nity of  their  tasks ;  on  the  floor,  in  uncon- 
scious bustle  and  irresponsible  enjoyment. 
We  can  see  the  whole  scene,  too,  gradually 
brighten  from  flickering  oil  to — w^ell  a  very 
wonderful  new  invention  in  lighting,  how^- 
ever  ill  constituted  to  cast  reflections  on  its 
predecessor. 

First  of  all,  what  a  magnificent  array  of 
American  statesmen  throng  the  hall  day 
after  day  of  a  week  in  the  early  autumn 
of  1831 ;  some  of  them  of  permanent  fame, 
all  representative  of  foremost  citizenship. 
A  Z13 


MUSIC   IN   PHILADELPHIA 

There  was  "  a  convention  of  the  advo- 
cates of  free  trade,  without  distinction 
of  party,  .  .  .  two  hundred  and  twelve 
delegates.  Among  them  were  Theodore 
Sedgwick,  George  Peabody,  and  John  L. 
Gardner,  from  Massachusetts ;  Preserved 
Fish,  John  Constable,  John  A.  Stevens, 
Jonathan  Goodhue,  .  .  .  and  Albert  Galla- 
tin, from  New  York;  C.  C.  Biddle,  George 
Emlen,  Isaac  W.  Norris,  from  Pennsyl- 
vania; Jos.  V/.  AUston  and  Wm.  C.  Pres- 
ton, from  South  Carolina,  and  men  of  equal 
distinction,  bankers,  merchants,  statesmen, 
and  political  economists  from  other  States. 
Of  this  convention,  Gallatin  was  the  soul. 
Mr.  Gallatin  found  himself  in  direct  oppo- 
sition to  Mr.  Clay,  whose  political  exist- 
ence was  staked  upon  the  opposite  theory. 
Mr.  Clay  answered  in  a  great  speech  in 
the  Senate,  in  February,  1832,  personally 
denouncing  Mr.  Gallatin  as  a  foreigner  with 
European  interests  at  heart.  For  this  he 
expressed  his  regret  to  Mr.  Gallatin  in  an 
interview  arranged  by  mutual  friends  at  a 
much  later  period."  *  Chief  Justice  Mar- 
shall was  present  at  the  meeting  on  the 
fourth  day.  Here  is  a  momentous  council 
within  these   our  modest  walls.     And,   in 

*  Life  of  Gallatin,  by  Stevens. 
114 


MUSICAL   FUND   SOCIETY 

truth,  we  do  hear  some  ungracious  objec- 
tions to  the  hall,  and  much  grumbling  that 
the  city  had  no  other  provision.  Other- 
wise, the  talk,  I  dare  say,  sounds  much 
like  some  very  familiar  arguments  that  are 
still  beaten  back  and  forth. 

Next  is  a  "meeting  of  the  friends  of  the 
Constitution  and  of  Domestic  Industry,  .  .  . 
on  Thursday,  January  24th,  1832,  in  relation 
to  the  alarming  and  momentous  crisis  in 
the  affairs  of  the  country,  menacing  the 
integrity  of  the  Union  by  the  assertion  of 
the  Nullification  Acts  on  the  part  of  the 
State  of  South  Carolina."  The  Mayor 
presides,  but  there  do  not  seem  to  be  any 
eminent  figures.  It  is  an  early  symptom 
of  a  national  disease,  wellnigh  fatal,  now 
happily  and  entirely  cured. 

On  the  last  day  of  this  year  we  have  a 
pageant  of  the  famous  old  bar  of  Philadel- 
phia. The  Hon.  John  Sergeant  delivers  a 
eulogy  on  the  life  and  character  of  Charles 
Carroll,  of  CarroUton,  and  is  listened  to  by 
the  Judges  of  the  Courts,  members  of  Con- 
gress and  of  the  Legislature,  Provost  and 
Faculty  of  the  University,  the  Reverend 
Clergy,  the  Mayor,  Aldermen,  High  Sheriff, 
of  the  city,  etc.,  etc. 

But,  speaking  of  pageants,  w^hat  must  we 
expect  from  the  promises  of  this  notice : 
"5 


MUSIC   IN   PHILADELPHIA 

ANNUAL   COMMENCEMENT 
of  the 

UNIVERSITY  OF   PENNSYLVANIA 

July  25, 1833 

A  procession  will  be  formed  and  will  move  from  the 
College  Hall  Ninth  Street  at  10  A.  M.  in  the  following 
order 

Janitor  of  the  College 

Students  of  the  Collegiate  Department 

Faculty  of  Arts 

Provost 

President  of  the  Board  of  Trustees 

Trustees  of  the  University 

Candidates  for  the  Degree  of  A.  B. 

Candidates  for  the  Degree  of  A.  M. 

Janitor  of  the  Medical  Department 

Faculty  of  Medicine 

Professors  of  Other  Colleges 

Alumni  of  the  University 

Honorary  Members  of  the  Philomathean  and 

Zelosophic  Societies 

Students  in  the  Medical  Schools 

Professors  in  the  Medical  Schools 

Instructors  in  the  University 

Principals  and  Teachers  in  the  Academical 

Department 

Teachers  in  the  University  Charity  Schools 

Teachers  of  Philadelphia 

Reverend  Clergy 

Judges  of  the  Court  of  the  United  States 

United  States  Senators 

Members  of  the  House  of  Representatives  of  the 

United  States 

116 


MUSICAL   FUND   SOCIETY 

Judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Pennsylvania 

Judges  of  the  District  Court 

Judges  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas 

Speaker  of  the  Senate  of  Pennsylvania 

State  Senators 

Members  of  the  House  of  Representatives 

Mayor  of  the  City 

Recorder  and  Aldermen 

Members  of  the  Select  and  Common  Councils 

Justices  of  the  Peace 

Strangers  invited  to  attend  the  Commencement 

Citizens 

The  procession  will  move  through  Ninth  to  Chest- 
nut, through  Chestnut  to  Eighth,  through  Eighth  to 
Locust,  through  Locust  to  the  Hall  of  the  Musical 
Fund  Society. 

Here  we  are  in  a  strongly  academic  at- 
mosphere, which  is,  however,  still  fragrant 
to-day,  though  more  faintly.  But  how  the 
janitors  have  fallen  from  their  high  estate ! 

Another  political  meeting  early  in  the 
next  year  on  a  red-hot  national  question, 
which  has  not  entirely  cooled  down  to- 
day, "  of  citizens  opposed  to  the  removal  of 
the  Government  deposits  from  the  United 
States  Bank  and  the  many  usurpations  of 
Andrew  Jackson,  and  who  are  desirous  of 
transmitting  to  their  descendants,  in  all  its 
original  purity,  the  Constitution  they  have 
received  from  their  sires."  The  meeting 
was  held  at  half-past  three  o'clock.  The 
117 


MUSIC   IN   PHILADELPHIA 

hall  was  filled  and  many  had  to  stay  out- 
side. 

Once  more  let  the  lawyers  take  the  floor : 
A  fitting  occasion  for  a  parade  of  a  noted 
bar ;  an  inspiring  theme,  though  grave ;  an 
orator  who  will  rise  to  its  full  dignity.  In 
September,  1835,  Horace  Binney  delivers 
a  eulogy  on  Chief  Justice  Marshall,  which 
is  again  attended  by  the  formidable  line  of 
Mayor,  Aldermen,  Judges,  etc.,  etc.  Among 
the  clergy  is  Bishop  W^hite,  in  his  clerical 
robes.  They  meet  at  Independence  Hall 
and  march  in  procession  to  Musical  Fund. 
Two  -  thirds  of  the  audience  are  ladies. 
There  are  present  Bishops  Moore,  of  Vir- 
ginia; Doane,  of  New  Jersey ;  Onderdonk, 
of  New  York  ;  Smith,  of  Kentucky ;  Onder- 
donk, of  Pennsylvania,  and  some  others. 
Bishop  "White  opens  the  meeting  with 
prayer.  The  address,  we  are  assured,  is 
"not  merely  a  eulogy,"  but  "  an  instructive 
lesson  upon  the  past."  It  occupies  an  hour 
and  three-quarters  in  the  delivery.  Many 
have  to  stand;  others  are  unable  to  gain 
admittance. 

It  seems  to  have  been  a  habit  of  those 
days  to  hold  public  memorial  meetings  over 
deceased  men  of  eminence.  The  tendency 
since  then  has  been  to  draw  back  in  our 
expression  of  condolence  within  the  privacy 
118 


MUSICAL   FUND   SOCIETY 

of  the  profession.  It  is  probable  that  the 
press  has  made  these  public  meetings  ob- 
solete by  its  prompt  obituaries  and  edito- 
rials, which  leave  little  to  be  said  a  few 
days  later.  In  the  quickness  of  modern  life, 
every  event  is  follow^ed  by  immediate  com- 
ment and  passes  a\vay.  The  real  meeting 
of  condolence  consists  now  of  telegraphed 
messages  and  of  oral  expressions  reported 
in  the  hour  of  their  first  utterance.  They 
certainly  have  the  great  merit,  besides  in- 
formality, of  spontaneity.  Musical  Fund 
Hall  probably  saw  a  solemn  succession  of 
these  funereal  orations,  chiefly  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  bar, — who  could  supply  subject 
and  orator  of  high  eminence.  On  Decem- 
ber 31st,  1836,  a  eulogy  is  held,  by  David 
Paul  Brown,  on  the  eminent  lawyer,  W^il- 
liam  Rawle. 

But,  in  general,  it  must  have  been  the 
time  when  the  idea  of  the  popular  lecture 
first  occurred  to  the  enthusiastic  minds  of 
people  who  know  a  little.  It  must  have 
been  a  special  want,  and  a  special  boon  to 
cities  in  proportion  to  their  distance  from 
the  centres  of  thought,  and  in  a  much 
greater  ratio  than  to-day.  So  we  find  in 
the  "United  States  Gazette"  of  the  7th  of 
December,  1837,  ^  notice  that  the  Athenian 
Institute  had  been  "lately  formed  with  the 
119 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

view  of  procuring  the  delivery  of  public 
lectures  on  popular  subjects  during  the 
winter  season."  Party  politics  and  secta- 
rian religion  were  alone  excepted.  Officers 
were  prominent  physicians  and  lawyers. 
So  long  ago  it  is  noteworthy  that  physicians 
took  the  intellectual  lead  in  Philadelphia, — 
indeed,  in  music,  much  more  than  to-day. 
There  is  a  long  list  of  "  Counsellors," — 
twenty-five ;  not  a  few  are  still  famous.  The 
idea  w^as  undoubtedly  to  supply  voluntary 
lectures  from  their  own  number.  There  is 
nothing  provincial  about  a  course  of  lec- 
tures by  men  like  the  Sergeants,  Ingersolls, 
and  Rawles  of  the  bar,  like  Rev.  W^.  H. 
Furness  or  Professor  Henry  Reed.  Strange 
to  say,  there  was  much  competition  betw^een 
rival  societies.  The  Mercantile  Library 
Association  advertised  its  first  course  to 
begin  in  November,  1839.  The  lecturers 
who  had  promised  were  men  of  similar 
distinction.  There  were  "Wm.  M.  Meredith 
and  Geo.  M.  Dallas.  Some  of  the  "Coun- 
sellors" of  the  Institute  appear  on  the  list. 
Indeed,  the  latter  organization  seems  to 
have  been  crowded  out  by  the  later  one. 
Both  used  the  Musical  Fund  Hall.  Besides 
local  volunteers,  as  w^e  suppose  they  w^ere, 
this  new  fashion  of  lectures  brings  before 
us  various  public   figures,   much    as    they 


MUSICAL   FUND   SOCIETY 

still  appear  to-day.  But  then  the  emphasis 
was  upon  the  lecture,  not  upon  the  mere 
sight  of  a  "celebrity."  The  attraction  lay 
in  the  merits  of  the  address ;  lecturing  was 
itself  more  of  a  profession.  They  pass 
along  in  motley  line :  John  B.  Gough,  the 
reclaimed  drunkard;  Edward  Everett,  the 
New^  England  statesman ;  Samuel  Lover, 
Irish  novelist;  Horace  Mann,  on  "Great 
Britain."  Tremendous  titles:  Joseph  R. 
Chandler,  on  the  "Dignity  of  Man;"  Pro- 
fessor Silliman,  on  a  scientific  subject  much 
too  long  to  repeat ;  Caleb  Cushing  has  his 
day,  on  "India,"  and  R.  H.  Dana,  Jr.,  on 
*'  American  Loyalty."  In  1842  comes  George 
Bancroft,  who  was  even  then  an  authority 
on  "  The  American  Revolution  ;"  after  him, 
in  almost  successive  weeks,  Ralph  VJaldo 
Emerson,  "William  H.  Furness,  and  Horace 
Greeley.  A  brilliant  course  for  the  Friday 
evenings  of  the  Mercantile  Library.  But 
the  Athenians  still  held  to  their  regular 
Tuesdays,  v^ith  local  prophets. 

A  complete  list  of  lectures  in  so  repre- 
sentative a  hall  must  be  a  fair  index  of  the 
history  of  the  intellectual  life  of  the  com- 
munity. However,  that  is  not  the  present 
purpose.  But  here  are  a  few  suggestive 
titles.  "Yankee"  Hill  on  "The  Manners 
and  Customs  of  the  People  of  New  Eng- 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

land"  must  have  been  one  of  the  humorists 
of  the  day.  So  was  "  Mr.  Roberts,  come- 
dian," who  "will  be  at  home  .  .  .  and 
deliver  a  lecture  (in  three  parts)  on  the 
character,  peculiarities,  and  manners  of 
John  Bull,"  etc.,  etc.,  with  an  enumeration 
of  detail  like  the  advertisement  of  a  country 
circus.  Here  is  one  ^ve  can  easily  guess 
the  temper  of:  "Dickens,  or  the  English 
tourist  in  America,"  a  lecture  delivered  in 
March,  1843. 

Add  to  this  the  list  of  "  Commence- 
ments" of  all  kinds,  exhibitions  of  musical 
"seminaries,"  the  great  balls  of  the  season, 
and,  above  all,  the  great  occasions  to  which 
the  building  was  dedicated,  and  you  have 
perhaps  as  complete  a  history  of  the  people 
as  you  might  gather  a  few  blocks  away  from 
official  archives. 


MUSICAL   FUND    SOCIETY 


CHAPTER  IX.    ENGLISH  MUSICIANS 
IN   PHILADELPHIA. 

^^^T"  N  the  splendor  of  the  Italians, 
^11  whose  names,  at  least,  are  al- 
ii ways  high-sounding,  we  are  apt 
II  to  forget  the  plain-titled  English 
II  musicians.  Their  influence,  al- 
w^ays  for  good,  -was'  subtle  in  its  work- 
ing. They  lacked  the  prestige  and  dash 
of  the  Italian.  Philadelphia  was  specially 
helped  by  their  coming.  Indeed,  there 
seemed  to  be  a  peculiar  mutual  attraction 
between  the  Quakers  and  that  type  of  thor- 
ough, conscientious  musician,  high-toned  in 
the  best  sense.  From  the  earliest  times 
we  have  traced,  until  the  present,  he  has 
singled  out  the  city  of  the  Friends,  and  it 
has  always  responded  with  respect,  if  not 
v^ith  fervor.  The  men  who  first  stirred 
musical  desire  and  urged  organized  enter- 
prise were  now  departing.  Almost  simul- 
taneously with  the  death  of  Carr  came 
that  of  Schetky,  of  whom  we  have  spoken 
above.  A  concert  for  the  benefit  of  his 
family  was  given  in  December,  1831.  There 
was  left  the  youngest  of  the  trio,  Benjamin 
123 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

Cross,  who  maintained  the  early  traditions 
of  his  teachers,  transmitting  them  to  a 
younger  member  of  his  own  family,  in 
whom  the  city  may  well  take  pride,  as  one 
of  its  leading  musicians.  The  loss  of  Carr 
and  Schetky  was  in  some  degree  mended  by 
the  arrival  of  another  Englishman,  Charles 
Jarvis,  an  excellent  pianist  and,  secondarily, 
a  composer.  Again,  in  his  case,  the  greatest 
service  lay  in  the  permanent  devotion  of 
his  life  to  high  musical  standards.  He  was 
thus,  in  turn,  the  cause  of  the  acquisition, 
in  his  son  Charles  J.  Jarvis,  of  a  pianist 
than  whom  America  has  never  produced 
an  equal  in  the  combination  of  certain  high 
qualities  :  of  broad  scholarship,  of  profound 
critical  power,  of  a  w^onderful  degree  of 
technique  as  performer,  of  absolutely  dis- 
interested pursuit  of  the  highest  standard 
in  the  building  of  his  programmes.  The 
quality  and  power  of  his  calibre  were  very 
like  those  of  the  late  Hans  von  Bulow ; 
but  fortune  cast  him  on  different  soil.  It  is 
clear  that  from  the  beginning  the  city  was 
fortunate  in  the  residence  of  men,  mostly 
English,  who  joined  to  their  intellectual 
breadth  the  moral  power  to  resist  the 
temptation  of  artistic  demagogism. 

Aside  from  the  men  who  came  to  stay, 
this  particular  period  of  the  second  quarter 

124 


MUSICAL   FUND   SOCIETY 

of  the  century  is  very  full  of  English  musi- 
cal visitors.  They  are  more  especially  in 
danger  of  oblivion  because  of  the  trium- 
phant march,  upon  their  heels,  of  the  fa- 
mous band  of  singers  and  players  from 
Southern  Europe.  W^ith  the  latter  the 
stress  Tvas  all  in  the  quality  of  perform- 
ance, in  the  turn  of  the  note ;  they  intro- 
duced to  Americans  the  wonders  of  the 
virtuoso  par  eminence.  The  English,  on  the 
other  hand,  with  less  heralding,  had  more 
substantial  wares.  They  were  often  far 
more  than  singers.  In  introducing  their 
own  compositions  they  had  an  influence 
which,  though  less  immediate,  was  more 
far-reaching.  A  record  of  their  work  is  as 
deserved  as  it  is  interesting. 

There  is  al^vays  some  queen  of  song, 
some  diva,  who  commands  the  superlatives, 
however  short  be  her  reign.  They  are 
as  frequent,  as  tyrannous,  and  as  ephemeral 
as  popular  songs.  Each  in  her  turn  is 
unsurpassed, — until  her  successor  appears. 
It  means,  of  course,  nothing  else  than  the 
power  of  the  personal  woman.  The  voice 
is  really  of  no  importance  other  than  as  a 
medium  for  carrying  the  personal  message. 
The  audience  is  like  the  fickle  lover  who  is 
sincere  enough  for  a  time.  There  can  of 
course  be  nothing  but  superlatives.  There 
"5 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

must  be  unconditional  conquest  or  there  is 
a  failure.  We  might  moralize.  Either  it  is 
all  a  mere  play,  a  self-deception,  or,  more 
likely,  a  temporary  state  of  emotional  ex- 
citement which  takes  no  account  of  other 
conditions  and  relations, — where  judgment 
takes  a  holiday.  There  is  perhaps  little  to 
choose  between  the  two  solutions.  But  it 
is  a  kind  of  deduction  to  say  that  the  more 
the  personality  of  the  performer  beclouds 
the  actual  music,  the  further  is  the  result 
from  the  fine  end  and  purpose  of  the  art. 

In  our  survey  of  English  visitors,  there 
are  three  kinds :  one  came  originally  and 
directly  to  stay  and  teach ;  others  passed 
through  on  their  planetic  orbit ;  but  there 
were  some  who  came  ^vith  this  same  tri- 
umphant impulse,  but  somehow  lost  mo- 
mentum. Often  they  were  too  old  for 
the  genuine  ring.  Perhaps  they  honestly 
changed  their  minds,  preferring  to  stay. 

But  it  was  a  common  phrase,  that 
America  was  the  burying-ground  of  English 
artists. 

One  of  these  was  Charles  Edward  Horn, 
an  English  singer  and  composer.  He  had 
been  successful  at  the  Drury  Lane  and  the 
Lyceum  Theatres.  On  his  several  visits  he 
became  familiar  to  Philadelphians.  Finally 
he  settled  in  Boston,  first  as  conductor  of 
126 


MUSICAL   FUND   SOCIETY 

the  Handel  and  Haydn  Society.    Towards 
the  last  he  kept  a  music  store. 

The  queen  at  this  particular  time,  the 
third  decade  of  the  century,  was  undoubt- 
edly the  famous  Mrs.  Austin.  We  are  con- 
vinced of  this,  not  so  much  by  the  size  of 
the  type  on  the  programmes,  or  by  the 
noise  of  praise,  as  by  an  unconscious  im- 
plication in  an  estimate  of  a  rival.  There 
was  a  Madame  Feron,  an  Englishwoman 
better  known  as  Mrs.  Glossop.  An  English 
critic  of  the  time  called  her  second  to  no 
Italian  but  Pasta.  A  later  annalist,  after 
praising  her  voice  and  method,  adds  that 
some  preferred  her  to  Mrs.  Austin.*  Both 
singers  appeared  at  the  Musical  Fund  Hall. 
Madame  Feron  sang  Italian  arias,  —  one 
"  composed  expressly  for  her  by  Doni- 
zetti." Mrs.  Austin  sang  English  and  Ital- 
ian songs  in  November,  ^^33.  There  is  a 
queer  old  programme  which  has  fluttered 
down  to  us,  with  enormous  names  on  a 
short  leaf.  Somehow  we  are  less  attracted 
by  the  famous  lady  than  by  the  announce- 
ment of  a  Mr.  Power,  who  "has  in  the 
kindest  manner  volunteered  Two  Irish 
Melodies."  He  looks  like  a  noble  pioneer 
of  a  worthy  line  of  Briton  singers,  of  whom 

*  Richard  Grant  White,  in  the  "  Century  Magazine." 
127 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

the  last,  also  an  Irishman,  seems  strangely 
like  this  early  kinsman.  By  one  account 
Tyrone  Power  was  born  in  1795,  the 
son  of  an  Irish  gentleman  of  the  County 
of  W^aterford.  "  He  afterwards  became 
famous  in  Irish  comedy  and  as  a  singer  of 
Irish  songs."  V/e  are  told  that  he  wrote 
well;  that  he  published  some  impressions 
of  America  in  1836,  besides  two  novels.* 
"We  believe  this  praise.  There  are  some 
verses  ^vhich  he  wrote  on  board  the  "  Al- 
gonquin," which  w^e  had  almost  published 
in  full.  It  is  a  simple  song  of  farewell, 
with  true  feeling. 

"  I've  pierced  from  North  to  South  thy  eternal  woods. 
Have  dream'd  in  fair  St.  Lawrence's  sweetest  isle, 
Have  breasted  Mississippi's  hundred  floods, 
And  wooed  on  Allegheny's  top  Aurora's  smile." 

Then  a  verse  homeward  sung.     But  once 
more  he  turns  with  generous  words : 

"  Welcome  and  home  were  mine  within  the  land. 
Whose  sons  I  leave,  whose  fading  shore  I  see; 
And  cold  must  be  my  eyes,  and  heart  and  hand. 
When,  fair  Columbia!  they  turn  cold  to  thee." 

Power  sailed  for  the  last  time  for  England 
on  the  steamship  "President,"  in  March, 

*  See  Allibone's  Musical  Dictionary. 
128 


MUSICAL   FUND   SOCIETY 

1841.  Some  may  still  remember  the  wide- 
spread sensation  that  the  total  loss  of 
the  vessel  and  of  her  passengers  caused. 
Here  is  part  of  a  lament  of  W^ashington 
Irving' s : 

"  ^Vhat  sighs  have  been  ^vafted  after  that 
ship !  What  prayers  offered  up  at  the  de- 
serted fireside  of  home !  How  often  has 
the  mistress,  the  wife,  the  mother,  pored 
over  the  daily  papers,  to  catch  some  casual 
intelligence  of  the  victims  of  the  deep ! 
How  has  expectation  darkened  into  anxiety, 
anxiety  into  dread,  and  dread  into  despair ! 
Alas !  not  one  memento  shall  ever  return 
for  love  to  cherish !  All  that  shall  ever  be 
known  is  that  she  sailed  from  her  port,  and 
was  never  heard  of  more  !" 

In  1834  the  great  favorites  in  concert  and 
opera  w^ere  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wood,  as  they 
w^ere  very  simply  announced.  The  lady  had 
succeeded  in  London  as  Miss  Paton,  had 
married  a  Lord  Lenox  who  ill-treated  her. 
Divorced  from  him,  she  accepted  one  Joseph 
^A^ood,  a  pugilist,  with  an  untrained  voice. 
Strangely  enough,  it  was  by  introducing  the 
delights  of  Italian  opera  that  the  W^oods 
won  their  great  American  fame,  chiefly  in 
an  English  version  of  "  La  Sonnambula," 
which  carried  everything  by  storm.  Even 
now^    old    people    will    roll    their    eyes    in 

i  129 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

memory  of  those  delights.  *' '  Still  so  gently 
o'er  me  stealing'  or  '  Hear  me  swear  now' 
were  heard  from  the  throats  of  singers,  the 
fingers  of  piano-forte  thrummers,  and  even 
the  lips  of  whistlers.  .  .  .  Mrs.  W^ood  was 
worshipped  as  if  she  had  been  a  beauty."* 
Later,  in  1840,  the  W^oods  appeared  at  the 
Chestnut  Street  Theatre  in  a  version  of 
"  Norma."  The  whole  performance  was 
memorable,  with  an  orchestra  of  fifty  and  a 
chorus  of  one  hundred,  drilled  by  Wm.  H. 
Fry,  a  well-known  composer  and  critic,  and 
composed  of  members  of  the  various  singing 
societies  and  choirs  of  the  cities.  "  Ladies 
and  gentlemen,"  it  is  recorded,  "of  distin- 
guished talents  in  the  musical  circles  of 
the  city  did  not  hesitate  to  take  part.  The 
theatre  was  crowded  for  twenty  consecutive 
nights,  and  the  occasion  was  long  remem- 
bered as  that  of  a  brilliant  operatic  tri- 
umph." It  was  the  first  production  of 
"  Norma"  in  this  country.  But  here  comes 
a  yellow^  page  from  a  regular  Society  con- 
cert in  1834,  in  which  Mr.  and  Mrs.  ^A^ood 
are  announced.  There  is  nowhere  a  sug- 
gestion of  Italian  enchantment.  The  or- 
chestra played  Beethoven's  "  Egmont" 
overture,  and  the  "Woods  sang  each  a  grand 

*  R.  G.  White  in  the  "  Century." 
130 


MUSICAL   FUND    SOCIETY 

scene  from  "Der  Freischiitz,"  besides  some 
plain  English  ballads. 

Midst  the  intoxication  over  "Sonnam- 
bula"  and  "Norma,"  there  must  have  been 
a  very  serious  time  for  those  good  people — 
and  there  were  many  in  those  days — whose 
long-rooted  principles  forbade  gazing  at  a 
regular  grand  opera.  So  we  have  a  pathetic 
notice:  In  May,  1836,  "to  meet  the  wishes 
of  numerous  parties  who  do  not  visit  the 
theatres,"  Mr.  and  Mrs.  ^A^ood  "  w^ill  give 
selections  from  '  La  Sonnambula,'  with  full 
band  accompaniments  and  numerous  cho- 
ruses." 

A  number  of  singers  appear  so  often  in 
such  very  large  type  that  they  must  have 
been  very  remarkable.  They  have  all  indu- 
bitably English  names.  There  w^ere  Mrs. 
and  Miss  "Watson  ;  Mrs.  Wheatly  ;  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Morely ;  Mrs.  Gibbs ;  James  Howard, 
a  very  sweet-toned  tenor.  They  were  of 
the  band  who  introduced  the  book  of  Eng- 
lish songs  old  and  new,  which  have  since 
become  household  classics  all  over  the 
land. 

There  is  one  Englishman  who  deserves  a 
full  share  of  attention,  partly  for  the  songs 
he  wrote  and  sang,  more  still  for  the  un- 
conscious humor  of  his  announcements. 
Henry  Russell  was  a  singer  v^ho  evidently 
131 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

confined  himself  to  his  own  songs.  Here 
is  a  typical  programme. 

MR.    H.    RUSSELL 

will  give  a  grand  concert  at  the  Musical  Fund  Hall  on 
Saturday  evening,  May  15th  (1841),  on  which  occasion 
Mr.  Russell  will  introduce  several  of  his  latest  com- 
positions which  have  met  with  so  much  applause  in. 
Boston  and  New  York. 

PART   I. 
Song    "  I  love,  I  love  the  free"  Russell 

"  The  wild  stream  leaps  with  headlong  sweep." 

Song    "  In  the  days  when  we  went  gipsying  a  long 

time  ago"  arranged  by  Russell 

Song     "  The  old  Sexton"     [Words  by  Park  Benjamin] 

"  Nigh  to  a  grave  that  was  newly  made 
Leaned  a  sexton  old,  on  his  earth-worn  spade ; 
His  work  was  done,  and  he  paused  to  wait, 
The  funeral  train  through  the  open  gate ; 
A  relic  of  bygone  days  was  he. 
And  his  locks  were  white  as  the  foaming  sea ; 
And  these  words  came  from  his  lips  so  thin, 
I  gather  them  in!     I  gather  them  in!" 

Song  "  Wind  of  the  winter's  night,  whence  comest 
thou  ?"  A  descriptive  poem  by  Charles 
Mackay  Russell 

Song    "  The  Ivy  Green."      Words  by  Boz  Russell 

Song     "  Arm,  brothers,  arm  !     I've  lost  my  child  ! 
The  wolf  is  out !" 
[A  description  of  a  wolf-hunt]  Russell 

132 


MUSICAL   FUND    SOCIETY 

New  Song     "  We  were  boys  together"  Russell 

[The  words  written  by  G.  P.  Morris.] 
Song    "The   Maniac."      [Words  partly  by  Monk 

Lewis.]  Russell 

The  above  description  of  a  scene  in  a  Mad  House 
is  founded  on  fact.  Some  years  since  a  gentleman  of 
large  fortune  was  taken  to  a  Mad  House  and  there  con- 
fined seven  feet  under  ground.  The  persons  that  ac- 
companied him  took  oath,  to  those  entrusted  with  the 
care  of  the  establishment,  to  the  fact  of  his  being  a 
maniac.  The  more  the  poor  fellow  implored  for  his 
release,  the  more  forcibly  was  the  keeper  convinced. 
The  treatment  he  received  while  thus  confined  affected 
his  reason,  and  he  became  frantic  and  shortly  died  from 
the  effect.  The  strangers  that  carried  him  to  the  Mad 
House  were  supposed  to  have  been  hired  by  some 
brutal  relatives,  who  at  his  death  were  to  come  in 
possession  of  his  property. 

PART   II. 
Song     "  Come,  brothers,  arouse,  arouse  !"  Russell 

Song  Descriptive — "The  Gambler's  Wife"  Russell 

Words  written  expressly  for  Mr.  Russell  by 
Dr.  Coates,  by  particular  request. 

"  Dark  is  the  night !    How  dark !    No  light !    No  fise ! 
Cold  on  the  hearth  the  last  faint  sparks  expire ! 
Shivering  she  watches  by  the  cradle  side, 
For  him  who  pledged  her  love  !     Last  year  a  Bride  ! 

"Hark!   'Tis  his  footstep !    No?   'Tis  past;  'tis  gone! 
Tic  !     Tic  !     How  wearily  the  time  rolls  on  ! 
Why  should  he  leave  me  thus  ?    He  once  was  kind ; 
And   I  believed  'twould  last  ?     How  mad !     How 
blind ! 

133 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

"  Rest  thee,  my  babe  !     Rest  on  !     'Tis  hunger's  cry  } 
Sleep !     For  there  is  no  food  !     The  fount  is  dry ! 
Famine  and  cold  their  wearying  work  have  done ! 
My  heart  must  break  !     And  thou  my  child — hush  I 
The  clock  strikes  one  ! " 

This  song  is  designed  to  represent  the  feelings  of  a 
young  wife  and  mother,  under  circumstances  sufficiently 
common  to  warrant  the  assertion  that  it  is  founded  on 
fact,  without  exaggeration.  It  represents  the  gambler's 
wife  and  child,  deserted  by  their  natural  protector,  in 
the  extreme  of  poverty  and  starvation,  for  the  pleasures 
of  play.  The  fire  expires ; — the  energies  of  life  sink  for 
want  of  food,  and  the  mother  vainly  strives  to  hope  in 
the  midst  of  despair,  appealing  to  the  past  with  the 
memory  of  the  bride,  while  vainly  endeavoring  to  soothe 
the  child  with  the  energy  of  a  mother's  love,  until  the 
infant  dies  in  her  arms  and  her  heart  is  broken.  The 
current  of  her  feelings  is  interrupted  only  by  the  peal  of 
the  clock,  and  at  the  third  hour  the  scene  closes  ;  while 
time  strides  onward,  in  its  monotonous  march,  regard- 
less, as  the  world,  of  the  issue. 

Song     "  Rockaway" 

*'  On  Long  Island's  sea-girt  shore 
Many  an  hour  I've  whiled  away." 

Words  by  P.  H.  Sharpe  Russell 

Song    •*  The  Old  Farm  Gate"  Russell 

"  Where,  where  is  that  gate  that  used  to  divide 
The  old  shaded  lane  from  the  grassy  roadside  ?" 

Song    "The  Old  Arm  Chair"  Russell 

•'  I  love  it,  I  love  it,  and  who  shall  dare 
To  chide  me  for  loving  that  old  arm  chair !" 
134 


MUSICAL   FUND    SOCIETY 

Song     "  Let  us  be  gay" — a  laughing  chorus.     Russell 

Performance  to  commence  at  8  o'clock. 

Tickets  50  cents  each,  to  be  had  at  the  principal 
music  stores  and  at  the  door  on  the  evening  of  per- 
formance. 

That  Russell  v^as  not  taken  seriously  by 
every  one  is  proven  by  a  parody  that  ap- 
peared in  a  newspaper : 

GRAND    CONCERT 

Mr.  Twaddle  has  the  honour  to  announce  to  his 
friends,  that  he  will  give  a  concert  on  Saturnalia  even- 
ing, at  the  bassooneon,  at  seven  o'clock.  The  music 
by  a  most  eminent  composer. 

PART    I. 

Reproduction,  piano  forte       ....        Tallbut 

Song — "  Away !  away  !  over  Back  Bay,  ho !"     Twaddle 

Song— The  Old  Grist  Mill  Twaddle 

"  Can  this  be  the  grist-mill  that  nine  years  hence 

Will  be  taken  and  used  for  a  cow-yard  fence  ?" 

Song— The  Old  Church  Mouse  Twaddle 

'*  Near  to  a  pew  that  was  newly  lined 
Sat  an  old  church  mouse,  who  had  not  dined,"  etc. 

Descriptive  Song — The  Rowdy — Words 

written  expressly  for  Mr.  Twaddle.       Twaddle 

"  Light  is  the  room !  how  light — no  dark — how  warm ! 
Drunk  on  the  floor  the  last  young  spark  falls  down, 
Trembling,  not  knowing  what  he  was  about, 
He  babbles — '  My  mother,  do  you  know  I'm  out  ?' 
135 


MUSIC    IN    PHILADELPHIA 

"  Hark  !  'twas  a  cat !     No  'tis  a  dog  !     No  !  it's  Ned  ! 
Clack !  clack !     Oh  dear,  if  I  could  go  ahead ! 
Why  am  I  blind  ?     I'm  sure  I  once  could  see ; 
But  eye  and  sight  have  failed.     Ah,  me !  ah,  me ! 

"  Sleep  on,  old  Ned !   sleep  on !     'Tis  nature'' s  cry ! 
The  bottle's  all  emptied,  and  I  am  so  dry ! 
Kating  and  drinking  have  made  me  a  brute  ! 
My  poor    head   will    split,   and    my  brains    come 
through ! 

The  bells  ring  for  fire,"  etc. 

[This  song  represents  a  young  man  under  circum- 
stances too  common  to  prove  an  exaggeration.  We  see 
the  youth  deserted  by  his  natural  good  sense,  in  the 
extreme  of  folly  and  drunkenness,  for  the  pleasures  of 
frolic;  the  fire  burns  bright;  the  muscles  of  his  body 
sink  from  no  want  of  stimulus ;  the  current  of  his 
thoughts  is  interrupted  by  the  entrance  of  a  watchman ; 
the  door  opens,  and  he  struts  forth  with  an  irregular 
zigzag,  regardless  as  the  world  of  the  gaze  of  the 
waiters.] 

PART    II. 
Song— The  Old  Tin- Pail  Twaddle 

Song — "  Foot  it !  foot !     I've  lost  my  pig — the  cow 

is  gone !"  Twaddle 

Duett — The    Old    Nurse-Lamp  —  and    Old    Fine- 
Tooth  Comb  Twaddle 
"  Oh !  deem  me  not  an  useless  thing." 
Song — The  Dropsical  Idiot — by  request.           Twaddle 
Song— (new)— The  Old  Irish  Baby  Twaddle 

Song — "On   Old   Green    Frog- Pond's   rock-bound 

Coast"  Twaddle 

136 


MUSICAL   FUND    SOCIETY 

The  editor  good-humoredly  adds  :  "  If  '  he 
may  laugh  who  wins,'  Mr.  Russell  will  relish 
the  above  as  heartily  as  any  one ;  for  he 
certainly  maintains  his  popularity  with  the 
music-loving  public." 

It  is  almost  incredible  that  a  man  of  solid 
ability  could  descend  to  such  commonplace 
sensationalism.  But  there  is  no  doubt  that 
Russell  had  a  vein  of  melody  that  met  wide 
and  quick  acceptance.  Even  now  one  still 
hears  songs  like  "  A  Life  on  the  Ocean 
Wave;"  "Cheer!  Boys!  Cheer!"  "The 
Ivy  Green,"  and  others.  Putting  together, 
critically,  these  with  many  of  the  common 
college  songs,  one  sees  a  clear  resemblance, 
an  undoubted  descent.  For  instance,  com- 
pare the  common  student  song  "A  Home 
by  the  Sea"  with  "A  Life  on  the  Ocean 
^Vave."  It  is  quite  probable  that  to  Russell 
is  due  the  vein  of  many  songs  of  the  college 
world  and  of  summer  holidays  of  a  certain 
amount  of  vitality. 

Of  course,  the  great  original  of  this  genre 
of  English  composer-singers  was  John  Bra- 
ham.  But  he  had  the  good  sense  to  throw^ 
much  of  his  power  into  a  worthy  interpreta- 
tion of  Handel's  great  arias.  Born  in  1774, 
he  had  practically  completed  his  triumphant 
career  abroad  when  he  appeared  in  America. 
He  sang  in  a  concert  at  the  Musical  Fund 
137 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

Hall  at  the  age  of  seventy.  Some  of  his 
compositions  remind  us  of  the  Russell 
kind.  One  was  the  "Village  Blacksmith." 
Another  was  the  "  Burial  of  Sir  Thomas 
Moore,"  ■which  ■was  invariably  sung  w^ith  a 
full  military  accompaniment  of  brass  and 
drums.  The  latter  ■were  particularly  loud 
during  the  opening  line  : 

"  Not  a  drum  was  heard,  nor  a  funeral  note." 

This  proved,  one  day,  too  much  for  the 
patience  of  a  good  man  in  the  audience, 
■who  interfered  with  the  usual  effect  by 
calling  out:  "They  must  have  been  con- 
foundedly deaf." 

Probably  the  greatest  singer  of  this  school 
was  one  whom  we  have  once  mentioned 
as  a  rival  of  Malibran.  Her  commonest 
stage-name  was  Madame  Caradori  Allen. 
It  takes  a  search  through  most  of  Europe 
to  find  her  true  nationality.  It  seems  she 
■was  famous  as  Caradori  before  she  became 
Mrs.  Allen.  Authentic  information  says 
that  she  ^vas  of  a  highly  respectable  Ger- 
man family,  "  daughter  of  Baron  de  Munck, 
a  Colonel  in  the  French  army."  The  only 
high  quality  which,  apparently,  she  did  not 
possess  was  dramatic  power.  Her  art  was 
of  the  highest,  and  her  influence  as  con- 
cert singer  of  the  very  best.  She  appeared 
138 


e« 


MUSICAL   FUND    SOCIETY 

frequently  at  our  hall  on  her  arrival  in 
America  in  1837.  Another  favorite  singer  of 
Italian  arias  was  Elizabeth  Poole.  One 
who  captivated  rather  more  by  beauty 
of  manner  than  of  voice  was  Miss  Jane 
Shireff. 

Every  play-goer  of  fifty  years  ago  will 
remember  Edward  Seguin  and  his  wife. 
They  w^ere  of  the  many  able  actors  and 
singers  who  visited  America  and  found  the 
home  they  had  missed  in  England.  Anne 
Seguin  was  an  equal  successor  of  the  line 
of  Mrs.  W^ood,  Mrs.  Austin,  and  Caradori 
Allen.  She  sang  prhna  dontia  in  most  of  the 
classical  Italian  operas,  from  Zerliyia  to  Doniia 
Anna.  In  the  forties  the  Seguins  often  sang 
at  the  ^A^alnut  Street  Theatre,  where  Ben- 
jamin C.  Cross  w^as  then  leader  of  the  or- 
chestra. Edward's  voice  vs^as  a  deep  bass. 
Among  many  insignia  of  success  in  America 
was  an  election  as  chief  of  an  Indian  tribe. 
Edward  Kean,  the  tragedian,  was  the  only 
other  Englishman  who  got  this  honor.  The 
Indians  gave  Seguin  the  name  of  "the  man 
with  the  deep  mellow  voice." 

No  better  sign  of  the  vigor  and  direction 
of  the  work  of  this  English  tribe  of  singers 
could  possibly  come  to  light  than  the  ac- 
count of  a  remarkable  performance  of  Mo- 
zart's "  Magic  Flute"  at  the  Musical  Fund 
139 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

Hall.  The  mere  fact  of  an  entire  production 
of  serious  opera  at  the  hall  \vas,  as  far  as 
the  record  shows,  unprecedented.  It  was  a 
*'  Grand  Musical  Festival"  for  the  benefit  of 
some  "asylum";  and  the  public  was  "re- 
spectfully informed  that  the  music  of  the 
grand  opera  of  the  '  Magic  Flute,'  composed 
by  the  inspired  Mozart,  will  be  performed, 
for  the  first  time  in  America,  at  the  Musical 
Fund  Hall,  .  .  .  on  .  .  .  February  8th, 
1841."  The  performers  are  named,  down 
to  the  players  of  the  tympani  and  of  the 
bells.  "Madame  Otto,"  the  notice  said, 
"was  engaged  on  account  of  the  indispo- 
sition of  Mrs.  Seguin."  The  rest  of  the 
cast  were :  Miss  Poole,  Miss  Thornton, 
Mr.  Manvers,  Mr.  Latham,  Mr.  Thornton, 
Signor  Giubilei,  and  Mr.  Seguin.  Thus, 
originally  all  but  one  were  to  be  English 
singers.  The  success  of  the  opera,  in  its 
selection,  performance,  and  reception,  is  a 
fine  gauge  of  public  taste  and  of  musical 
interest.  There  w^ere  sixty-four  performers 
in  the  orchestra,  almost  all  of  whom  were 
so  distinguished  that  it  was  necessary  to 
give  their  full  names.  Mr.  B.  C.  Cross 
"  presided  at  the  piano,"  probably  from  force 
of  habit.  There  could  be  no  other  reason 
in  the  full  orchestra,  which  included  basset- 
horn  and  ophicleide.  Admission  cost  two 
Z40 


MUSICAL   FUND    SOCIETY 

dollars.  Then  there  was  a  repetition  for 
some  other  "benefit."  It  is  said  that  parties 
were  made  up  in  New  York  and  Boston 
specially  to  enjoy  the  performance.  News- 
paper comments  gave  praise  in  the  regular 
phrases.  That  of  the  "  National  Gazette" 
had  the  greatest  variety  of  adjectives.  Sig- 
nificant is  its  last  paragraph:  "The  public 
has  now^  had  such  samples  of  operatic  ex- 
cellence that  mediocrity  will  no  longer 
answer.  ^Vhat  is  now  done  in  that  way 
must  be  done  fully  and  well  to  command 
success." 

It  is  worth  noticing  that  the  whole  enter- 
prise was  the  work  of  a  single  citizen,  an 
eminent  builder  of  locomotives. 


141 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 


CHAPTER  X.    SUMMUS  PARNASSUS. 

^I^B^^^HE  reason  for  tracing  the  career 
y    \  of  the  Musical  Fund  Society, 

fl       1  especially  as  we  approach  the 

^^^^V  middle  of  the  century,  is  not 
^^^^  so  much  its  own  interest  and 
importance,  as  its  peculiar  relation  to  the 
musical  history  of  Philadelphia.  The  hall 
was  not  merely  the  only  concert-room  for 
Philadelphians.  The  dignity  of  the  Society 
was,  to  a  degree,  independent  of  the  acci- 
dent of  its  location.  Its  fame  and  the  policy 
of  the  directors  brought  musicians  who 
w^ould  otherwise  have  passed  the  city  by. 
The  lustre  of  the  Society  outshone  that  of 
the  city.  The  hall  was  known  to  the  virtuosi 
of  the  w^orld,  who  enjoyed  singing  or  play- 
ing there  for  its  own  sake.  A  great  musician 
considered  a  visit  to  the  hall  a  necessary 
part  of  his  tour.  Thus,  not  unlike  foreign 
cosmopolitan  concert-halls,  the  simple  min- 
utes of  the  board  meetings  and  the  annual 
reports  give  a  certain  reflection  of  the  musi- 
cal progress  of  the  w^orld.  Besides  all  this, 
the  support  of  the  Society,  in  its  associate 
membership,  had  come  to  be  representative 
of  the  city,  more,  perhaps,  than  any  artistic 
142 


MUSICAL   FUND    SOCIETY 

society  then  or  since.  Thus,  for  a  double 
reason,  an  account  of  the  Society  in  its 
flourishing  period  is  a  terse  sketch  of  the 
attitude  of  Philadelphians  towards  musical 
events. 

These  annual  reports  are  never  uninter- 
esting, often  pathetic,  generally  amusing. 
They  are  a  very  sensitive  barometer  of  the 
musical  atmosphere,  with  great  depression 
at  one  end  and  extreme  elation  at  the  other, — 
with  the  needle  always  pointing  to  one  of 
the  opposites,  never  in  an  equilibrium  of 
quiet  content.  Know^ing  how^  often  and  ho^v 
quickly  the  clouds  break,  we  cannot  possi- 
bly move  up  and  dow^n  in  loyal  sympathy. 
Like  children,  the  good  directors  are  either 
smiling  with  complacent  self-congratulation 
or  they  are  wofully  trying  desperate  meas- 
ures to  prevent  the  worst.  It  was  evidently 
an  age  for  superlatives. 

In  the  main  there  were  two  contrary 
policies.  The  managers  saw  with  early 
foresight  that  the  best  foundation  was  an 
artistic  independence.  This  was  probably 
the  real  reason  for  the  experiment  of  an 
"Academy"  to  educate  members  for  the 
Society's  orchestra.  It  was  felt  that  the 
true  constitution  of  the  Society  should  be 
such  that  it  could  provide  its  own  concerts, 
independent  of  the  glamour  of  foreign  names. 
143 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

Of  course,  there  were  financial  considera- 
tions, which  may  have  been  stronger  than 
others.  The  price  of  singers  or  players  was 
even  in  those  days  fabulous.  Our  American 
cities  were  the  last  resort  of  worn-out  "  ce- 
lebrities," who  still  sought  to  reap  a  golden 
harvest  with  the  magic  of  their  name.  It 
was  for  the  Society  at  the  same  time  an 
ideal  and  a  practical  policy  to  rely  on  their 
own  resources.  It  meant  the  production  of 
the  great  master-works  by  concerted  effort, 
instead  of  a  dazzling  exhibition  of  clever 
feats.  In  the  earliest  years  the  great  desire 
was  for  oratorio.  An  evening  of  "The 
Creation,"  where  the  members  were  singers, 
players,  and  performers,  was  always  sure 
of  success.  It  was  a  wholesome  taste,  and 
the  highest  economy  of  means.  Towards 
the  middle  of  the  century  the  oratorio  seems 
to  have  lost  ground.  In  so  far  as  it  was 
overshadowed  by  Italian  opera,  this  was 
deplorable.  The  true  successor  of  the  ora- 
torio was  the  symphony,  which  needed  a 
complete  orchestra.  As  yet,  strange  as  it 
must  seem,  there  is  no  record  before  1840 
of  performances  in  Philadelphia  of  the  great 
symphonies  of  Haydn,  Mozart,  or  Bee- 
thoven. The  true  policy,  as  was  constantly 
suggested  in  annual  reports,  was  indepen- 
dence of  virtuosi  on  the  line  of  orchestral 
144 


k 


vj- 


t 


MUSICAL   FUND   SOCIETY 

concerts.  In  the  moment  of  greatest 
achievement  in  the  score  of  years  before 
the  Civil  ^Var,  this  highest  of  ideas  -was 
actually  accomplished.  But  they  were 
moments,  and  they  have  never  been 
repeated.  Yet  in  them  lies  the  seed  of 
promise.  Somehow  artistic  enterprise  in 
Philadelphia  has  since  always  suffered  with 
a  certain  moral  palsy,  an  intellectual  diffi- 
dence. ^Ve  have  never  fitted  ourselves 
with  the  necessaries  for  musical  house- 
keeping. W^e  have  always  had  to  depend 
on  foreign  caterers. 

In  the  early  forties  there  is  renewed 
clamor,  in  the  managing  councils,  for  an 
adjunct  "school,"  almost  as  if  there  had 
never  been  a  previous  trial  and  failure.  The 
"Academy"  was  actually  re-established, 
with  the  same  result  as  before.  But, 
chimerical  as  may  be  the  undertaking, 
we  must  sympathize  earnestly  with  the 
fundamental  purpose.  "It  is  greatly  to  be 
desired,"  says  the  annual  report  of  May, 
1840,  "  that  the  taste  for  purely  instrumental 
music  were  more  generally  cultivated,  and 
that  the  classic  and  more  elaborate  produc- 
tions of  the  masters  of  the  art  excited  the 
same  pleasure  as  is  now  afforded  by  lighter 
compositions.  The  material  of  which  our 
orchestra  is  composed  is  of  a  sufficient 
y  M5 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

character  to  produce  with  credit  the  works 
to  which  we  have  reference,  were  the  pub- 
lic better  tutored  to  appreciate  their  ex- 
cellence. 

"It  is  desirable  for  our  Society,  both  on 
the  score  of  economy  and  the  permanent 
improvement  of  musical  taste,  that  in  this 
respect  more  alterations  should  be  made  in 
the  programmes  of  our  concerts,  and  a 
more  prominent  part  assigned  than  here- 
tofore to  the  orchestral  department  of  the 
Society." 

The  taste  for  "lighter  compositions"  had 
come  in  \vith  the  later  school  of  Italian 
opera,  which  cast  aside  all  serious  dramatic 
plans  in  the  chance  for  languishing  arias 
and  dazzling  fioriture.  ^\^ith  the  new  music 
came  its  singers,  who  did  not  help  matters 
with  their  exhibitions  of  highest  notes  and 
their  artificial  dramatic  excitement.  Indeed, 
the  spirit  of  virtuosity  infected  all  regions  of 
music, — violinists,  too,  and  pianists,  as  w^e 
shall  see.  It  is  now  almost  inconceivable 
to  think  of  the  old  enjoyment  of  an  evening 
with  the  simple  airs  of  the  "Creation"  or 
of  the  "Seasons."  That  was  a  time  of 
normal  appreciation.  Then  came  the  good, 
simple  programmes  of  overtures  of  Mehul, 
Gluck,  Cherubini,  or  Mozart,  and  of  plain 
English  ballads.  After  the  first  quarter  of 
146 


MUSICAL   FUND   SOCIETY 

a  century  came  the  first  draught  of  the  new 
Italian  brand  of  sparkling  melody.  It  were 
vain  to  blame  our  grandfathers  for  this  de- 
parture. It  is  simply  one  of  the  zigzag 
ways  art  takes  in  its  development.  In 
Germany  the  standards  of  true  art  were 
never  overwhelmed  by  these  Italian  onsets. 
It  is  good  to  see  how  in  Philadelphia  the 
feeling  for  the  best,  for  serious  music  soon 
found  expression. 

It  was  probably  in  fulfilment  of  this 
general  purpose,  and  certainly  in  conse- 
quence of  the  same  economic  necessity, 
that  the  notice  was  published  which  we  find 
in  the  newspapers  on  November  6,  1841 : 

"MUSICAL   FUND    SOCIETY. 

"  The  Society  have  determined  to  substitute  a  series 
of  musical  soirees  during  the  present  season  for  the 
concerts  heretofore  given.  These  soir6es  will  be  five 
in  number  and  will  be  given  on  the  second  Thursday  of 
November,  December,  January,  February,  and  March, 
in  the  Society's  practising  room,  which  has  been  fitted 
up  for  the  purpose. 

"  The  instrumental  performances  will  consist  of 
quartettes  and  other  concerted  pieces  and  solos;  the 
vocal  performances  of  songs,  glees,  etc.,  etc." 

Ladies  are  "particularly  requested"  not  to 
"wear  their  bonnets  in  the  concert-room." 

But  the  policy  was  not  popular.  It  was 
merely  the  temporary  recoil  from  the  ex- 
147 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

travagant  expense  of  the  regular  concerts. 
Indeed,  during  one  of  these  winters  all  con- 
certs of  the  Society  were  suspended.  These 
troubles  proved  the  spur  which  soon  led  to 
a  triumphant  success.  They  tested  the 
sincerity  of  the  directors  and  public  loyalty. 
Recently  there  had  been  no  increase  of 
members.  In  1843-44,  some  sixty  new 
names  appear.*  So  the  next  report  is  a 
psean  of  joy,  mingled  with  dignified  self- 
approval,  and  w^ith  complacent  review^  of 
the  exchequer.  All  was  well.  The  So- 
ciety now  had  their  cake,  and  ate  it  too. 
Together  with  an  effective  development  of 
the  orchestra,  there  is  a  remarkable  pro- 
cession of  foreign  genius.  First  comes  the 
great  Norwegian  violinist.  Ole  Bull's  first 
entrance  is  strictly  characteristic  of  his  per- 
sonal quality.  In  the  memoir,  written  by 
his  widow,  we  read  that  "  he  received  a 
letter  from  the  managers  of  the  Musical 
Fund  Society  in  which  they  asked  him  to 
appear  at  their  first  concert  of  the  season, 
and  expressed  the  hope  that  he  would  make 
the  terms  as  moderate  as  possible,  as  the 
object  of  the  Society  was  to  create  a  fund 
for  the  support  of  poor  musicians." 

*  [Among  them  is  that  of  the  compiler,  who  later  took 
a  leading  part. — Ed.] 

148 


DLE  BUU^ 


CONCERT 

At  the 

MUSICAL  FUND  HALL, 


Id:  SATURDAY    ETENI^fO.    I8th   JTAIVrARY,   lS4ft. 


IP  Ami"  jPEia§iP. 

;  I^_OVEimrRE.    Rossini,  ...  OBcairrRA.^ 

•  II.— CONCERTO  IN  A.  in  3  parts, 

1.  ALLEGRO  MAESTOSO,         y„„„^.^.„j/- 

2.  ADAGIO  SENTIMENTALE,  y^'^^ZT^i 

3.  RONDO  PASTORALE, 
'  in.— SINFONIA.    Bethovan,  -  -  -       Orcbxstba.J 

^  IV.— NIAGARA,  (Pastorale  Fantasia,)  composed 

and  performed  by        ....  Ols  Binx-j 


'performed  by  (_  Ole  Bcix.3 


;L— OVERTURE.    Anber,           -            -            -  Obciiistba.! 
^11.— PSALM  OF  DAVID,  newly  composed  and 

performed  by            ....  Olk  Bt 

;  m.— SIKFONIA.    Mozart,           ...  Obghxst 
0 IV,— SOLITUDE  OF  THE  PRAIRIE,  composed 

and  performed  by               ...  Oli  Buu. 

Grand  Orchestra,  under  the  direction  of  Si^nor  LA  MANNA. 


TICKETS-ONE  DOLLAR  EACH. 


oors  Open  at  7 — Concert  to  commence  at  8  o'clock. 

A.  ScoU,  Prioter,  No.  115  Ch«9tniit  amet,  Philadelphia. 


/ 


MUSICAL   FUND    SOCIETY 

He  returned  a  letter  of  thanks,  and  said 
his  only  remuneration  should  be  the  honor 
of  assisting  so  highly  esteemed  a  society 
in  its  noble  efforts.  "When  they  received 
his  answer,  they  resolved  to  strike  a  medal 
in  his  honor,  and  it  was  presented  to  him 
at  the  close  of  the  concert.  It  might  have 
a  grander  air  to  tell  the  story  in  the  magnif- 
icent phrases  of  the  programme  and  of  the 
report,  rather  than  in  Mrs.  Bull's  simple 
words.  A  special  committee  was  appointed 
to  prepare  a  gold  medal  with  suitable  em- 
blems and  inscription.  John  K.  Kane,  the 
vice-president,  made  the  address  of  presen- 
tation on  the  night  of  the  concert.  Ole  Bull, 
unlike  many  musical  visitors  in  America, 
■was  in  the  first  flush  of  his  power.  He 
was  thirty-four  years  old,  and  had  just  com- 
pleted his  first  tour  of  Europe.  Fanny 
Elsler,  whom  he  met  in  Hamburg,  per- 
suaded him  to  come  to  America.  At  this 
first  concert  in  Philadelphia  he  played  Paga- 
nini's  "Carnival  of  Venice,"  and  a  "  Quar- 
tetto"  of  his  own,  "composed  for  four 
violins  and  performed  on  one."  He  gave 
in  all  five  concerts  in  Philadelphia  in  a  fort- 
night. Generosity  was  a  ruling  passion 
with  Ole  Bull.  In  1845  ^^  played  in  New 
York  to  four  thousand  people,  for  the 
widows  and  orphans  of  masons.  During 
149 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

this  first  visit  he  gave  more  than  twenty 
thousand  dollars  to  charitable  and  benevo- 
lent institutions.  Indeed,  most  of  his 
thoughts  and  earnings,  it  would  seem,  were 
spent  on  philanthropic  enterprises,  which 
were,  unfortunately,  not  always  successful. 

Of  other  eminent  visitors  at  the  hall  were 
"W.  V.  "Wallace,  composer  of  **  Maritana"  ; 
Madame  Cinti  Damoureau,  for  whom  Ros- 
sini wrote  special  rdles ;  Artot,  the  violinist; 
and  Signor  Sanguirico,  the  great  buffo.  Mr. 
Richard  Grant  White  tells  us  *  that  he  had 
rare  comic  power,  which  depended  both 
upon  his  face  and  upon  his  voice.  "  He  had 
a  nose  like  Punchinello's,  and  the  quality  of 
his  voice  was  also  exactly  like  that  of  Mr. 
Punch.  The  sight  of  his  queer  visage  and 
the  sound  of  his  cackling  voice  never  failed 
to  send  laughter  through  an  audience.  He 
was  much  esteemed  for  his  intelligence  and 
his  character."  Our  old  friend,  Henry  Rus- 
sell, was  still  giving  **  grand  vocal  entertain- 
ments." 

Still  in  this  season  of  1843-44  came 
Madame  Castellan ;  Signor  Casella,  a  great 
cellist;  and,  finally,  Vieuxtemps,  dominant 
figure  in  violin  music  since  Paganini.  Of 
great    merit,    though    less    renown,    were 

*  In  the  *•  Century  Magazine." 
150 


MUSICAL   FUND    SOCIETY 

Rosina  Pico,  contralto ;  and  Cerillo  Antog- 
nini,  whose  magnificent  endowment  of 
tenor  voice,  manly  beauty,  and  dramatic 
power  were  marred  by  a  strange  lack  of 
vocal  control.  It  is  said  that  his  voice 
would  suddenly  desert  him  in  the  middle 
of  an  evening.  It  was  a  wonderful  time 
for  violinists.  In  the  same  year  Ole  Bull, 
Vieuxtemps,  and  Sivori  were  playing  in  the 
United  States.  Others  visited  the  city 
who  would  now  make  a  greater  stir.  It 
must  have  been  the  genius  of  the  magician 
Paganini  which  pulsed  in  these,  the  chief 
of  his  apostles.  W^e  can  imagine  his  power 
when  we  see  his  stamp  in  so  reactionary 
a  master  of  another  instrument  as  Robert 
Schumann.  With  Paganini  the  wonders  of 
virtuosity  were  legitimately  expressive  of 
a  wildly  passionate  imagination.  In  his  fol- 
lowers these  means  w^ere  made  the  end.  Of 
them  all,  Ole  Bull  was  the  worst  offender, 
we  fear.  Neither  Vieuxtemps  nor  Sivori 
attempted  such  gymnastic  feats  as  cutting 
the  strings  and  performing  on  a  single  one. 
It  is  said  that  Vieuxtemps  came  unheralded 
on  the  strength  of  his  European  name ; 
that  he  w^as  disappointed  and  grieved  with 
the  public  enthusiasm  over  Ole  Bull.  The 
best  imitator  of  Paganini  was  undoubtedly 
Sivori,  his  only  pupil,  on  whom  he  concen- 
151 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

trated  all  his  power  of  instruction.  But  by 
the  irony  of  artistic  fate,  the  very  quality 
which  made  him  shine  a  perfect  reflection  of 
the  master,  meant  the  want  of  personality. 
The  impression  we  get  is  of  classic  per- 
fection of  technique  w^ith  a  certain  coldness, 
even  affectation,  of  feeling.* 

Despite  this  brilliant  array,  the  Board  of 
Directors  were  right  in  reporting  to  the 
Society  in  May,  1845,  "that  the  past  year 
has  been  chiefly  remarkable  for  the  reor- 
ganization of  the  orchestra  .  .  ,  and  its 
establishment,  we  trust  permanently,  upon 
a  footing  calculated  to  bring  great  credit  to 
the  Society,  and  to  promote  a  sound  and 
critical  musical  taste  in  the  community. 

"  The  performances  of  this  orchestra 
during  the  past  season  have  commanded 
the  highest  admiration  and  approval.  At 
the  second  concert  the  orchestra  performed 
the  entire  symphony  of  Beethoven,  No.  i, 
in  C  major.  The  ability  with  w^hich  these 
complicated,  yet  expressive,  harmonies 
were  produced,  and  their  appreciation  and 
evident  approval  by  one  of  the  largest 
audiences  ever  gathered  within  the  walls 
of  the    Musical    Fund    Hall,   is    gratifying 

*  See  the  sketch  in  Grove's  '•  Dictionary  of  Music 
and  Musicians." 

152 


MUSICAL   FUND    SOCIETY 

evidence   of   advancing    musical    skill    and 
taste  in  the  community." 

Turning  curiously  to  the  programme,  the 
first  to  record  the  playing  of  a  real  master's 
symphony  in  Philadelphia,  we  find  a  mod- 
est, single-paged  leaf.  In  largest  type  are 
Signorina  Rosina  Pico,  Signor  Antognini, 
and  Signor  Sanguirico,  as  if  to  hide  the 
hazardous  notice  of  "The  Entire  Grand 
Symphony  of  Beethoven."  Wisely  the  lat- 
ter was  not  allowed  the  test  of  its  merits. 
Perhaps  the  wealth  of  singers  was  sugar 
for  the  pill.  It  looks  like  further  precautions 
against  a  mutinous  audience.  The  entire 
symphony  is  there,  to  be  sure,  but  care- 
fully divided  through  the  evening  in  slices 
not  too  indigestible.  No.  i  is  first  fragment 
of  symphony,  adagio  and  allegro ;  not  until 
after  four  operatic  entermets  come  the 
second  and  third  fragments,  andante  and 
nimuet.  Before  the  fourth,  finale  allegro^ 
there  is  a  much-needed  intermission.  In 
the  absence  of  written  comment,  Ave  must 
merely  wonder  at  the  reception.  Unpre- 
pared, as  the  audience  was,  by  the  simpler 
works  of  Haydn  and  Mozart,  accustomed 
only  to  the  frivolous  overtures  of  Italian 
and  French  opera,  the  bold  and  serious 
thought  of  the  great  romanticist  must  have 
puzzled  all  but  the  musically  trained.  We 
153 


MUSIC   IN   PHILADELPHIA 

must  wonder,  too,  at  the  interpretation. 
But  even  if  we  had  comment,  there  were 
no  critics.  The  leader  of  the  orchestra, 
w^ho  for  years  had  taken  the  place  of  the 
veteran  Hupfeld,  was  L.  Meignen.  It  is 
strangely  difficult  to  find  accounts  of  him. 
At  a  concert  in  April,  1845,  there  is  a  grand 
military  sinfonia,  of  his  composition,  on  the 
concert  card,  entitled  "A  Soldier's  Dream." 
On  the  third  page  is  a  long  "  descriptive 
analysis,"  much  like  a  school-boy's  essay. 
All  the  details  of  battle  were,  of  course, 
to  be  found  in  the  music:  a  notion  of  a 
"sinfonia,"  hard  to  reconcile  with  pro- 
found perceptions.  But  we  may  do  him 
injustice.  He  certainly  had  the  courage 
to  bring  the  highest  before  an  uncertain 
audience. 

At  the  only  concert  of  the  next  season, 
in  March,  1846,  the  second  symphony  of 
Beethoven  was  given  in  precisely  the  same 
fragmental  way.  People  were  once  for  all 
used  to  short  numbers.  The  form  of  lighter 
music  must  correspond  with  its  content.  It 
would  have  been  presumptuous  to  play  con- 
tinuously for  forty-five  minutes.  The  rest 
of  the  programme  -was,  for  the  most  part, 
Donizetti,  Meyerbeer,  Vieuxtemps,  and  De 
Beriot.  There  was  a  "celebrated  pianist," 
Leopold  de  Meyer,  who  must  have  been 
154 


3^ 


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fVW\iWWWW  I 


H.  VIEUXTEMPS. 


'*ini 

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M 

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IB 


^-*  II 


|i=ni=n=ii=n=ient=|[=n=iu=it=ii=n=ni=iu=nL=nl=nl=it=ibnei 


MUSICAL   FUND    SOCIETY 

wonderful,  for  his  bill  was  four  hundred 
dollars. 

Now,  in  the  season  1846-47,  conies  the 
best  of  all.  By  quick  evolution,  the  first 
concert  has  a  programme  of  the  highest 
modern  standard.  Here  is  the  "  Eroica 
Symphony"  of  Beethoven,  now  divided 
merely  into  t'wo  sections,  beginning  and 
ending  Part  I.  Then  there  is  the  "  Oberon" 
overture  of  W^eber,  and  Mendelssohn's 
"Midsummer  Night's  Dream."  The  sym- 
phony and  the  Mendelssohn  overture  were 
played  for  the  first  time.  On  the  same 
evening  there  played  one  of  the  greatest 
pianist-composers  of  the  century.  At  least 
contemporary  opinion  would  justify  this 
praise.  Henri  Herz  was  one  of  those 
mortals  who  achieve  at  once,  in  the  very 
doing,  a  name  out  of  all  proportion  to  their 
true  value.  During  this  time  he  moved 
quite  an  equal  in  the  circle  of  Liszt  and 
Chopin  at  Paris.  His  playing  was  pro- 
digiously successful ;  his  compositions  al- 
ways hit  the  instant  mark  of  popularity. 
Yet  when  he  died,  a  few  years  ago,  all  the 
world  was  astonished  that  he  had  been 
alive  so  long.  At  this  concert,  in  Decem- 
ber, 1846,  Herz  played  a  concerto  and  some 
Variations  di  Bravura  of  his  own. 

We  are  near  the  high  tide  of  true  artistic 
155 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

success.  From  the  report  on  the  season 
1847-48  the  orchestra  was  "larger  in  num- 
bers, more  complete  in  organization,  and  far 
more  perfect  in  execution  than  in  any  pre- 
vious period." 


156 


MUSICAL   FUND   SOCIETY 


CHAPTER  XI.  ENLARGEMENT  OF 
THE  HALL:  THE  BAZAAR:  TWO 
GREAT   PIANISTS. 

^ttt^^^HK  proudest  boast  of  the  report 
^    \  of  1847  was,  however,  the   al- 

■        I  teration    and    improvement    of 

^^^^  the  hall.  "The  north  front 
^^^^  of  the  building  was  extended 
sixteen  feet,  and  the  position  of  the  stage 
was  changed  from  the  north  front  of  the 
saloon  to  the  rear  or  south  end.  The  im- 
provements were  made  from  plans  pre- 
sented by  N.  Le  Brun,  architect.  They 
w^ere  commenced  June  17,  and  w^ere  finished 
on  October  21,  following."  The  change  in 
no  wise  injured  the  acoustics ;  it  gave  a 
comfortable  seating  capacity  for  fifteen  hun- 
dred persons.  The  stage  was  also  extended. 
^Vhat  interests  us  most  is  the  plan  for 
paying  the  bill ;  the  instant  response  of 
members  to  the  scheme  of  the  directors ; 
and,  above  all,  the  enthusiastic  support  of 
the  general  public.  It  w^as  decided  that 
a  fair  be  held,  and  that  it  be  called 
"  The  Bazaar  for  the  benefit  of  the  Musical 
Fund  Society."  The  hall  was  reserved 
157 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

from  Tuesday,  November  23,  to  Friday, 
December  3.  It  was  decorated  in  "beau- 
tiful design." 

In  the  newspapers  a  notice  promised  "  a 
very  extensive  and  elegant  collection  of 
ornamental  and  useful  articles  .  .  .  exposed 
for  sale  by  a  large  number  of  Ladies  of  the 
city  and  country."  There  was  a  grand 
promenade  concert  every  evening  in  the 
saloon,  "and  numerous  other  "wholly  novel 
attractions  presented  to  add  brilliancy  and 
enjoyment  to  the  scene."  On  the  lower 
floor  was  a  museum  of  "  valuable  specimens 
of  Art,  Historical  relics,  and  National  tro- 
phies," also  miscellaneous  exhibitions  of 
legerdemain,  archery,  an  automatic  trum- 
peter, "  a  perfectly  acting  Automatic  Rope 
Dancer,  etc.,  etc." 

The  best  of  the  bazaar  v^as  "  The  Bazaar 
Album,"  a  four-page  paper,  "devoted  to 
the  interests  of  the  Ladies'  Bazaar,  for  the 
benefit  of  the  Musical  Fund  Society."  Like 
solid  houses,  with  perfect  lines,  this  clear, 
careful  type  is  somehow  peculiarly  asso- 
ciated with  the  past.  And  for  some  reason 
the  little  sheet  speaks  very  directly  of  the 
great  occasion.  It  is  all  so  light  in  inten- 
tion, so  short-lived  in  expectation.  And 
yet  so  careful  is  the  detail,  so  high  the 
standard  in  expression  and  appearance, 
158 


m  mAm^^M  ^mmwm. 


Bittua  ::  ttw  iMnn»  zt  l„i  Ztliit'  Vaiztz,  lit  I'^t  i.uCl  it  tl*  ^cijtti  ^nk  ^uMt. 


Skr  •■  a  AiflM— <lk»  nU<  mm  J 


T*«y  giM  Ih*  bMj  ■  qavMlj  ■! 


nr*>  kMdlfi  «m4  ikM  M* 


MUSICAL   FUND    SOCIETY 

that  it  someho^v  deserves  its  accidental 
preservation.  Almost  half  is  filled  with 
persuasive  verses  about  the  various  tables. 
There  is  a  very  slim  editorial  department. 
One  of  the  burning  topics  is  the  weather. 
Another,  on  "The  Opera,"  says:  "The 
musical  ^vorld  has  taken  it  into  its  head  to 
be  delighted  with  the  singing  of  Madame 
Bishop,  etc.,  etc."  A  third  tells  us  that 
"  Mr.  Dempster,  the  popular  ballad  singer, 
is  in  the  city,  and  is  drawing  throngs  of 
delighted  listeners  to  his  pleasing  and  in- 
structive entertainments.  He  is  undoubt- 
edly the  best  English  ballad  singer  of  the 
day."  Then  there  is  a  funny,  old-fashioned 
plaint  of  a  newly-married  "  Peter  Pliant." 

The  bazaar  was  a  very  great  success. 
After  it  was  over,  there  was  announced  in 
the  newspapers  a  "  Bazaar  Ball  in  honor 
of  the  Ladies,  superintendents  of  the 
Tables  at  the  Musical  Fund  Bazaar.  This 
Grand  Ball  will  take  place  on  Thursday, 
December  23rd,  1847,  at  the  Musical  Fund 
Hall." 

"  An  elegant  supper,  including  w^ines," 
v/sis  promised.  W^e  are  prepared  for  the 
fine  humor  of  the  board  in  its  next  report : 
"  Never  before  have  they  been  able  to 
present  the  general  affairs  of  the  Institution 
in  a  more  flourishing  condition.  The  alter- 
159 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

ations  of  the  Hall  and  improvements  have 
been  completed,  and  the  additional  accom- 
modations have  produced  the  most  advan- 
tageous results." 

"To  the  ladies  .  .  .  grateful  acknowledg- 
ments" are  given  at  ceremonious  length. 
'*  The  result  of  this  devotion  was  a  clear 
receipt  of  $5000."  The  sum  surpassed  all 
earlier  attempts,  and  paid  for  the  greater 
share  of  the  expenses  of  the  alterations. 

The  remaining  history  of  the  Society 
down  to  the  clouding  shadows  of  the 
coming  war  is  outwardly  brilliant  with  the 
visits  of  singers  and  players,  w^ho,  more 
than  mere  kings  of  a  day,  had  something  of 
the  quality  of  perfection  w^hich  leaves  a 
lasting  mark  on  the  memory  of  man.  Be- 
sides the  Brignolis,  the  Grisis,  the  Marios, 
besides  Lagrange,  Alboni,  and  Hensler, 
there  \vas  a  Lind ;  above  all  there  was 
Sontag.  Finally,  this  resplendent  sunset 
of  the  Society  was  further  enriched  by  the 
appearance  of  one  of  the  great  pianists 
of  history.  The  comments  of  the  time  on 
Gottschalk's  playing,  the  recorded  impres- 
sion of  his  personality,  allow  us  no  hesita- 
tion in  giving  him  this  rank.  There  is  no 
doubt  that  in  many  ways  he  lowered  his 
art  to  the  level  of  clownish  exhibtion.  Yet, 
withal,  he  had  the  courage  to  introduce 
160 


MUSICAL   FUND    SOCIETY 

the  unknown  music  of  Chopin  and  other 
romanticists.  His  influence  on  the  music  of 
this  country,  measured  merely  in  power, 
without  regard  to  quality,  ^vas  far  greater 
than  that  of  any  other  virtuoso.  In  his  man- 
ner of  playing,  in  w^hat  are  called  his  own 
compositions,  "which  are  mere  arrangements 
of  -well-know^n  melodies,  he  completely 
dominated  all  taste.  Even  to-day,  forty 
years  afterw^ards,  in  quiet  villages,  like 
lonely  cavities  where  rain-pools  linger,  it 
is  Gottschalk's  music,  with  his  portrait  on 
the  cover,  that  still  reigns  supreme  among 
"fashionable  pieces."  And  then,  too,  he 
had  the  disadvantage  of  being  an  American. 
He  made  a  far  stronger  mark  in  this  country 
than  did  Henri  Herz.  His  personality  was 
broader:  he  approached  nearer  to  original 
creation. 

But  it  was  largely  a  mere  outward 
splendor.  Behind  the  scenes,  with  the 
directors  over  their  annual  reports  while 
these  magnificent  concerts  are  progressing, 
everything  is  really  going  wrong.  The 
"professors"  will  not  come  to  rehearse, 
and  the  orchestra  rapidly  goes  down. 
^Vith  all  their  popularity,  singers  ^vere 
always  a  losing  investment,  generally  in 
proportion  to  their  greatness.  The  success 
of   the    new   Germania    Orchestra    seemed 

k  i6i 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

to  sho^v  that  the  public  w^ere  eager  for 
good  performance  of  instrumental  music. 
But,  while  the  purpose  of  the  Society 
was  beneficial  to  professional  musicians, 
there  must  have  been  too  slight  a  present 
reward  to  induce  faithful  attendance. 

All  of  this  did  not,  of  course,  affect  the 
financial  condition  of  the  Society.  The 
income  from  rent  of  hall  and  rooms  had 
increased  continuously,  until  in  May,  1857, 
the  board  reported:  "All  the  incumbrances 
upon  the  property  of  the  Society  have  been 
removed,  and  it  is  without  debt."  This 
was,  too,  the  year  when  an  unusual  com- 
petition began  with  the  completion  of 
Jayne's  Hall  and  of  the  Academy  of 
Music.  "The  trouble  lay  purely  in  the 
'  musical  department,'  which  betrayed  its 
inability  for  self-support."  In  reviewing 
causes,  the  report  continues  later:  "  In  the 
early  part  of  the  career  of  the  Society,  the 
giving  of  concerts  and  productions  of  classic 
compositions,  such  as  the  '  Creation,'  di- 
rected as  it  freely  ^vas  by  the  resident  mu- 
sical ability  of  the  day,  and  aided  by  the 
amateur  force  under  its  control,  was  not 
only  a  means  of  cultivating  and  diffusing 
taste  for  music  but  was  also  a  source  of 
revenue.  Subsequently  the  engagement  of 
such  passenger  talent  as  came  within  the 
162 


MUSICAL   FUND   SOCIETY 

reach  of  the  officers,  enabled  them  to  give 
attractive  and  generally  lucrative  concerts. 
But  for  several  years  past  the  enormous 
demands  of  these  persons  have  rendered  it 
difficult  to  procure  such  aid,  and  often  im- 
possible except  at  a  heavy  loss.  In  short, 
the  attractive  and  often  elevated  character 
of  the  opera  companies  which  appear  among 
us,  have  given  a  style  to  public  perform- 
ances with  which  it  is  impossible  for  the 
Society  to  compete." 

It  might  have  been  said,  however,  that 
the  question  of  self-support  in  the  musical 
department  was  a  minor  one,  when  there 
was  a  permanent  fund  destined  for  its  assist- 
ance. After  all,  these  are  old  lamentations, 
ringing  out  their  yearly  plaint  on  an  accus- 
tomed tune.  Probably,  but  for  the  Civil 
"War,  the  former  efforts  would  have  been 
renewed  with  the  former  success. 

W^e  have  hurried  ahead  of  our  glorious 
period,  fearful  that  it  is  too  good  to  last. 
Before  us  are  still  the  greatest  of  all  who 
have  yet  sung  or  played.  All  so  far  has 
been  prelude :  now  comes  the  natural  cli- 
max. At  the  worst,  plaudite^  amid ;  comedia 
finita  est.  It  is  something  to  have  held  such 
an  array  of  guests,  if  the  house  does  tumble 
into  decay. 


163 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 


CHAPTER  XII.     THE  AGE  OF  SONG: 
SONTAG  AND  LIND  :    THE  FUTURE. 


® 


F  the  many  virtuosi,  product  of 
the  crowning  development  of 
Italian,  French,  and  German 
grand  opera,  it  is  possible  to 
touch  upon  but  few.  These 
great  soloists  are,  pathetically,  like  unwill- 
ing members  of  a  grand  chorus,  most  of 
whom,  at  our  distance,  with  all  the  shower 
of  adjectives,  look  very  like  each  other. 
Some  few  hold  our  glance  with  an  unusual 
charm. 

Not  more  than  the  accustomed  numbers 
stand  out  as  the  final  chosen  prime  and 
primi. 

In  1850  Jenny  Lind  gave  two  concerts  at 
the  hall.  But  there  is  no  trace  of  her  sing- 
ing at  any  of  the  regular  concerts  of  the 
Society.  Her  terms  were  certainly  dis- 
couraging. But  in  the  following  May  the 
treasurer  reports  a  generous  gift  from  her, 
of  four  hundred  dollars,  to  the  funds  of 
the  Society.  Her  name  was,  of  course, 
promptly  enrolled  among  the  honorary 
164 


JHttsicol/DoMflllt^ 


(PraniJ  frira  CanrFri 

CESABE  BASIALI,  M.  CABI  ECKERT. 

8ig.  6.  POZZOLim.  LUIOI  ROCCO, 

PAUL  JULIEN,  ALFRED  JAELt, 

GERHAinA  MUSICAL  SOCIETT. 
On  SATUHSAT  Evening,  October  30th. 


•  ox.  Wf  x<A.aiv 


FOB  THE  FUST  TIME 

CONCERTED  OPERATIC  PIECES! 


WUO^MAmMll&. 


Slaa  BADIAU  and  ROCCOk 

S.  CAVATINA.."0  Ucc  di  QuetU.'  Limit  diObaaMBb. 
MADAME   ULMKlL'lTii   SORTAG- 

4.  PIANO  r08IE..    .■■Ci™i..lot  V.ilcc," 

ALPRBD     JABLL. 

ft.  DUET  -From  "LiBd»Ji  Chimouiitr." 

MADAME   BENRIETTE  SOHTAO 
:  PozxoLon 


U.  OVKHTDBI 

TBB  oBRMAjnA  mrsicAi.  aociBrr. 

7.  BArXiD-..."K»lvUullii«.'^ ^ 

MAT>AMB  BEinUETTE  SOMTAa. 

>.  BOMAKZA     .  rrom  "  I  Nornmal  <•  PumI," KmtMun 

BlOtVOR  BAAIAU 

I.  DUXT        ••  The  t.i.k  [..-«>«.■■  , ni«nM 

MADAME  BEintiirrTE  solrrAa 

And  SIONOR  BOCCO. 

10.  TIOMM. . . ."  Soormlr  d.  B«IUni," anw 

PAU1<  XTTUBir. 

II.  unABTIst.   ..Ftoij<"I.ucl>dlI.«iiii>«i<i«>or," Duna^ 

IIADAMB  BENIUSTTE  SOITTAa. 
Aid  BIOS    BADIAU.  POZZOUHI,  ud  ROCCO. 

11.  riVALE        OnheUnl - 

THS  OBRKAiriA  MUSICAL  80C1BTT. 


Admission  -  -  $  1,  $2,  and  $  3. 

Tiitots  ud  tnti  to  b*  Ind  (t  Im  *  W>Ilur'i  Kuie  (tan 


MUSICAL   FUND    SOCIETY 

members.  With  other  pre-eminent  singers 
of  the  time  the  Society  had  closer  relations. 
The  story  of  Madame  Sontag's  reception 
suggests  at  once  the  prestige  of  the  lady, 
and  the  fine  attitude,  of  noblesse  oblige,  of  our 
Society.  They  w^ere  alive  to  their  duty  as 
representatives  of  the  city.  A  committee 
was  given  po\ver  to  make  arrangements  at 
a  cost  of  three  hundred  dollars.  In  the 
formal  correspondence  that  followed,  Son- 
tag,  through  her  agent,  offered  to  sing  gratu- 
itously for  the  benefit  of  Musical  Fund 
Society.  Her  approach  to  Philadelphia  was 
conceived  in  the  form  of  an  ovation.  On 
^A^ednesday,  October  13,  1852,  a  steamboat 
was  chartered  for  Burlington,  Ne\v  Jersey, 
to  meet  Madame  Sontag,  arriving  by  rail 
from  Ne^v  York.  The  lady  was  escorted 
by  the  committee  on  board,  where  she  was 
received  by  the  venerable  George  Campbell, 
secretary  of  the  Society.  He  advanced  and 
addressed  her  in  these  words:  "Honored 
madame !  The  Musical  Fund  Society,  of 
Philadelphia,  desirous  to  express  the  high 
estimation  in  w^hich  they  and  the  kindred 
associations  of  this  city  hold  your  character 
as  an  artist  and  lady,  have  made  arrange- 
ments to  meet  you  here  for  the  purpose  of 
w^elcoming  and  escorting  you  to  Philadel- 
phia. The  fame  of  your  talents  and  your 
165 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

virtues  have  long  ago  preceded  you,  and 
the  opportunity  of  meeting  personally  one 
who  has  for  many  years  occupied  so  dis- 
tinguished a  rank  in  the  musical  world, 
and  contributed  so  much  to  dignify  and 
exalt  the  divine  art  you  profess,  affords  us 
the  most  sincere  pleasure.  We  therefore 
gladly  welcome  your  appearance  among 
us,  and  hope  your  visit  may  be  in  all  re- 
spects agreeable  to  yourself." 

Perhaps  the  best  proof  at  this  day  of  the 
lady's  artistic  sincerity  was  the  contrasting 
simplicity  of  her  reply :  "  Sir,  I  am  totally 
unprepared  for  the  kindness  thus  shown 
to  me.  It  is  as  delightful  as  it  is  touching 
and  flattering  to  my  feelings.  Accept,  sir, 
my  heartfelt  thanks,  where  it  will  ever  be 
deeply  engraved.  Thanks,  thanks,  dear  sir  ! 
to  you  and  your  noble  Society."  One  who 
■was  present  tells  of  a  "splendid  collation" 
that  was  served.  A  band  played,  and  Ger- 
man musical  societies  sang  choruses.  The 
boat  stopped  at  Browning's  Ferry,  Shacka- 
maxon  Street,  where  Madame  Sontag,  her 
husband.  Count  Rossi,  Paul  Julien,  and 
Louis  C.  Madeira  landed  and  drove  to 
Jones's  Hotel,  on  Chestnut  Street,  in  order 
to  avoid  the  crowd  at  the  Walnut  Street 
wharf.  Madame  Sontag  acknowledged 
with  much  fervor  the  pleasure  which  the 

i66 


MUSICAL   FUND    SOCIETY 

reception  gave  her.  Those  who  were 
present  speak  of  it  as  memorable. 

Sontag's  first  concert  was  given  on  the 
next  evening  at  Musical  Fund  Hall.  \Vith 
her  sang  Cesare  Badiale,  and  played  Paul 
Julien,  violinist,  and  Alfred  Jaell,  pianist. 
There  was,  too,  the  orchestra  of  the  new 
Germania  Musical  Society,  and  a  Carl 
Eckert,  conductor  from  the  Italian  opera 
at  Paris,  who  led  the  former.  The  pro- 
gramme is  not  interesting.  Best  of  all  is 
Weber's  overture  to  "  Euryanthe."  Son- 
tag  sang,  of  known  music,  an  aria  from 
"  Sonnambula,"  "  Di  Questa  Anima"  from 
"Linda,"  and  "Home,  Sweet  Home." 
Descriptions  of  the  scene  at  each  night 
are  dazzling.  "When  Sontag  first  ap- 
peared," we  are  told,  "a  solemn  still- 
ness ensued,  as  if  an  immortal  had  de- 
scended." Sontag  was  then  at  least  fifty 
years  old.  The  public  called  for  a  ne^v 
series  of  concerts,  ^vhich  ^vere  given  v^ith 
sustained  success. 

Before  us  lies  the  original  letter  which 
Sontag  wrote  to  the  president  of  the  Society 
before  returning  to  New  York.  It  gives  her 
"most  cordial  thanks"  for  her  "kind  and 
sympathetic  reception."  But  it  is  not  as 
good  as  her  first  little  speech.  ^Vhat  was 
most  important  was  her  offer  to  give  a 
167 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

concert,  with  the  help  of  her  "professional 
assistants,"  in  behalf  of  the  Society.  On 
its  programme  were  the  same  songs  for 
Sontag,  except  the  aria  from  "  Sonnam- 
bula."  Instead,  Sontag  and  a  Signor  Rocco 
sang  an  unimportant  duet. 

In  the  fall  of  1853,  Sontag  sang  in  con- 
certs ;  she  also  produced  some  operas  at 
the  National  Amphitheatre,  on  Chestnut 
Street  below  Ninth.  On  a  Saturday  in 
October  she  gave  a  free  performance  to 
the  girls  of  the  Normal  School,  who  loaded 
her  with  flowers.  It  took  four  large  clothes- 
baskets  to  carry  them  away ;  but  she  would 
not  leave  one  behind.  The  house  was 
crowded,  the  stage  filled  with  children  on 
both  sides.  Sontag  was  as  much  delighted 
as  were  the  children. 

Coming,  as  she  did,  with  a  bevy  of  won- 
derful singers,  Sontag  seems  to  have  left 
with  her  hearers  the  sense  of  ne  plus  ultra. 
Closely  rivalling  the  musical  admiration 
w^as  the  personal  regard  which  she  com- 
manded. Beethoven  spoke  as  true  seer, 
when  he  said,  "  I  predict  for  her  a  glorious 
career;  for  she  has  heart  as  well  as  voice." 

There    can,  however,  be   no   comparison 

between  the  public  interest  in  Sontag  and 

the    rage    over    Lind.     Undoubtedly    there 

was  a  striking  conjunction  of  various  ele- 

168 


;  ,* : 


MUSICAL   FUND   SOCIETY 

ments.  The  picturesque  story  of  her  youth, 
great  personal  power,  and  the  first  campaign 
of  modern  advertising,  sprung  upon  an  un- 
witting public.  At  least  tw^o  of  these  traits 
have  nothing  to  do  with  the  art  of  singing. 
But  they  conspired  to  stir  the  world  like 
nothing  before  or  since  in  the  world  of 
art. 

Tw^enty-five  thousand  people  are  said  to 
have  welcomed  Jenny  Lind  at  the  wharf  in 
New  York.  At  an  auction  sale  for  choice 
of  seats  at  her  first  concert,  two  hundred 
and  twenty-five  dollars  was  bid  by  a  hatter, 
who  won  fortune  by  the  venture  of  a 
moment.  The  receipts  of  the  first  even- 
ing were  $30,000.  In  Philadelphia  the  sum 
paid  for  first  choice  of  seats  w^as  six 
hundred  and  twenty-five  dollars.  Musical 
Fund  Hall,  where  the  first  concerts  were 
given,  was  abandoned  for  an  amphitheatre, 
once  a  circus,  called  Maretzek's  Opera 
House.  In  "Washington  the  President 
called  on  Jenny  Lind ;  eminent  statesmen 
paid  her  distinguished  honor.  At  one  con- 
cert, when  Lind  w^as  singing  "  Hail  Colum- 
bia," the  great  Webster,  whose  patriotism 
w^as  boiling  over,  involuntarily  rose  and 
added  his  bass  to  the  chorus,  to  the  delight 
of  Lind  and  the  audience.  At  the  close  the 
impromptu  concertanti  bowed  and  courtesied 
i6g 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

vw'ith  increasing  insistence,  while  the  audi- 
ence applauded  like  enchanted  children. 

Such  a  triumph  cannot  be  laughed  away 
as  mere  imaginary  admiration  without  the 
element  of  personal  power. 

In  this  dazzling  light  it  is  hard  to  see  the 
individual  beauty  of  lesser  stars  without 
a  special  effort  of  historical  magnifying. 
Lind's  visit  was  in  1850;  Sontag  came  in 
1852.  On  the  ist  of  December,  1855,  the 
Musical  Fund  Society  gave  its  eighty- 
second  concert  with  Miss  Hensler,  Signor 
Brignoli,  and  Gottschalk ;  in  the  following 
April  Brignoli  sang  again  with  Madame  La 
Grange  and  Signor  Amodio.  Finally  Mario 
and  Grisi  appeared  in  Philadelphia  in  opera 
and  concert  early  in  1855.  All  of  these  are 
peers  of  the  realm  of  one  province  of  a 
great  art.  Each  in  turn  may  seem  brightest 
and  best.  The  difference  is  largely  in  the 
subjective  temperament  of  the  hearer.  One 
writer  tries  to  distinguish  the  charm  of 
Grisi:  "  Malibran  was  more  startling  in  her 
impulses ;  Viardot  more  intensely  dramatic ; 
Jenny  Lind  more  sensational  with  her  four 
high  notes ;  Sontag  more  brilliant.  But  for 
the  presentation  of  a  part  in  its  entireness ; 
for  the  embodiment  of  powerful  emotion, 
combined  with  beauty  of  person,  richness 
and  roundness  of  voice,  with  the  power  of 
170 


MUSICAL   FUND    SOCIETY 

exercising  a  potent  spell  over  a  vast  audi- 
ence, Grisi  has  never  been  surpassed."  Her 
husband  was  Giuseppe  Mario,  son  of  the 
Marchese  di  Candia.  Caught  in  a  political 
scrape,  he  was  reluctantly  persuaded  to 
make  a  trade  of  his  song.  Some  of  his 
power  lay  in  physical  beauty,  and  in  a 
distinction  that  may  have  been  associated 
with  his  gentle  birth. 

The  poet  Willis,  hearing  Grisi  in  "Anna 
Bolena,"  wrote  the  lines: 

"  When  the  rose  is  brightest, 

Its  bloom  will  soonest  die  ; 
When  burns  the  meteor  brightest, 

'Twill  vanish  from  the  sky! 
If  death  but  wait  until  delight 

O'errun  the  heart  like  wine. 
And  break  the  cup  when  brimming  quite, 
I  die ; — for  thou  hast  poured  to-night 

The  last  drop  into  mine." 

Of  all  the  singers  Elise  Hensler  rose 
highest  in  the  measure  of  -worldly  station. 
A  Boston  girl  of  poor  parents,  the  friend  of 
LfOngfellow,  she  was  married  to  a  prince,  at 
one  time  King  of  Portugal,  who,  it  is  said, 
refused  the  throne  of  Spain  in  loyalty  to 
his  ^vife. 

Newspaper  criticisms,  to  give  them  a  flat- 
tering name,  somehow  improve  with  age. 
Undiscriminating  as  they  are  in  descrip- 
171 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

tion  or  expression,  they  have  the  virtue  of 
spontaneous  opinion,  uttered  before  reflec- 
tion has  cooled  the  emotion.  They  have 
somewhat  the  value,  in  point  of  evidence, 
of  certain  declarations  \vhich  in  law  are 
admitted  by  reason  of  a  close  relation  to 
the  incident  of  which  they  speak.  There 
is  a  yellow^,  old  comment  on  the  singing  of 
La  Grange,  which  details  her  various  per- 
fections and  makes  excuses  for  the  seeming 
coldness  of  Philadelphia  audiences. 

Another  bit  of  print  may,  unwittingly, 
console  us  to-day  for  what  we  have  thought 
an  unheard-of  wrong-doing  of  impresarios. 

''ITALIAN    OPERA. 

"  A  brilliant  audience  was  assembled  last  evening, 
solely  to  hear  Rossini's  lovely  opera  of  the  Barber  of 
Seville.  One  act  of  it  was  done  better  than  it  was  ever 
done  here,  Madame  Lagrange  making  a  more  admirable 
Rosina  than  we  have  ever  had,  while  Morelli's  Figaro 
was  most  excellent,  Brignoli's  Ahnaviva  much  better 
than  we  expected,  Gasparoni's  Don  Basilio  very  good, 
and  as  for  Signor  Rovere,  he  was  irresistibly  droll  as 
Dr.  Bartolo,  and  appeared  in  unusually  good  voice. 
Imagine  the  surprise  of  the  audience,  then,  when,  at 
the  fall  of  the  curtain,  the  stage  manager  appeared  and 
announced  that,  owing  to  the  sudden  hoarseness  of 
Signor  Rovere,  the  rest  of  the  opera  could  not  be  per- 
formed, but  two  acts  of  the  Purilani  would  be  given 
in  its  stead.  Nobody  believed  in  this  sudden  hoarse- 
ness, and  there  were  plenteous  hisses  among  the  re- 
172 


MUSICAL   FUND    SOCIETY 

sponses  to  the  manager's  announcement.  It  was  soon 
discovered  that  the  '  sudden  hoarseness'  had  been 
provided  for  beforehand  ;  the  female  choristers,  dressed 
for  /  Puritani,  had  been  seen  by  those  in  the  side 
boxes,  early  in  the  evening ;  Miss  Hensler  and  Signor 
Amodio  were  on  hand  for  the  Puritani,  and  scenery, 
dresses,  and  music  were  all  so  ready  for  the  change  of 
opera,  that  one  could  not  fail  to  see  in  it  something 
more  than  mere  coincidence.  But  with  a  remarkable 
good  humor,  the  audience  submitted  to  the  trick,  and 
listened  patiently  to  Miss  Hensler's  pretty  singing 
of  some  of  Elvira's  music  and  to  the  noisy  duo  by 
Amodio  and  Morelli.  That,  however,  which  reconciled 
them  to  the  unwarrantable  and  unnecessary  change  of 
performance  was  the  marvellous  singing  of  Madame 
Lagrange,  in  a  Hungarian  air  with  variations,  and  in 
her  own  St.  Petersburg  polka  aria,  which  were  kindly 
given  between  the  bits  of  /  Puritani.  But  for  this, 
half  the  audience  would  probably  have  left  in  disgust 
at  the  trick  practised  upon  them.  To-night  Semiratnide 
is  promised,  and  to-morrow  night  Norma.  It  is  im- 
possible to  say  whether  ..." 

Here  the  column  cuts  us  off  abruptly ; 
but  it  is  not  hard  to  guess  the  rest. 

Almost  with  equal  abruptness  our  history 
closes.  There  was,  indeed,  an  ominous 
series  of  mournful  losses.  A  number  of 
the  prominent  founders  drop  away  in  a 
group.  Chief  of  them  is  Benjamin  Cross, 
who  died  in  March,  1857.  In  quick  suc- 
cession the  Society  loses  John  K.  Kane, 
the  first  secretary,  untiring  in  founding  and 
173 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 

guiding  the  early  venture ;  his  successor, 
George  Campbell ;  and  the  vice-president, 
Elhanan  W^.  Keyser.  The  board,  in  annual 
report,  utter  their  sense  of  the  high  worth 
of  the  departed  colleagues  in  sincerest 
words. 

Yet  there  is  no  reason  to  doubt  that,  but 
for  the  darkening  troubles  of  the  nation, 
the  Society  would  have  continued  and  ad- 
vanced in  its  career.  No  single  obstacle 
arose  (like  the  competition  of  other  halls) 
■which  could  not  have  been  met  with 
moderate  effort. 

Until  lately  it  seemed  that  a  cause  of 
temporary  suspension  had  been  allowed, 
by  passive  inertia,  permanently  to  end  the 
musical  work  of  the  Society.  Signs  of  ne^v 
enterprise  are  given  the  highest  surety  of 
success  in  the  history  of  the  past.  The 
same  strain  of  English  musicians,  which 
we  have  called  peculiar  to  Philadelphia, 
has  in  later  years  produced,  among  others, 
one  who  has  achieved  the  highest  place  in 
the  highest  work  of  the  art.  W^here  there 
■was  one  German  master,  there  are  no^w 
ten, — at  least  of  equal  ability,  some  of  cre- 
ative power. 

Of  the  elements  of  high  development  of 
musical  life,  all  are  now  present  in  greater 
measure    than    in    the    best    years    of   the 
174 


SE300ZCX> 


0  iOMyiiT 

or 

SIGNOREVA  ADELINA 
The  Musical  Fhenomenon! 


R«pectfullj  informi  hii  Fricudi,  tod  tbe  Public  b  Ecceiml,  tliAt  he  bu  »gi(«l 

SIGNOBINA  ADELINA  FATTI. 

Not  yet  Eight  Years  Old, 

The  Most  Wonderful  Vocalist  of  the  Age! 

CALLED 

u  nmm  mm  mp, 

Thii  EstfrnordtMrr  Phcnom^noD  rings  with  the  most  utonithinj  perfectioa,  puritjof 
ctylp,  and  iucoiDwebeiutbie  ««j?,  th«  Bravura  Piec«a  of 

MALiBRAN,  MADAME  ALBONI, 

PASTA,  CATHERINE  HAYES, 

JENNr  LIND,  ANNA  BISHOP, 

MADAME  SONTAG,  TERESA  PARODI, 


SIGNORINA  ADELINA  PATTI 

Will  jire  her  SECOND  GRAND  COXCfeRT,  on 

Thursday  Evening,  Sept.  23d,  1852, 1 

AT  THE 

[Riai!DiO(g/^[L  mm)  mnHp 

On  which  occuion  ibe  will  be  aMistet]  hj 

NIISKA  HAUSER, 

The  Gre<t  Violiniit,  and 

MAURICE  STRAKOSCH,  ^ 

The  Eminent  Ptanyt  >b&U  Goau>Qjer.    ^  ^ 


MUSICAL   FUND   SOCIETY 

Musical  Fund  Society, — all  save  one,  which 
was  the  underlying  quality  of  the  old  suc- 
cess :  a  hearty  union  of  all  the  musical 
forces  of  the  city.  ^A^ith  it  must  come  con- 
fidence, instead  of  the  old  bane  of  self- 
doubt.  Plans  for  the  special  pleasure  of 
a  limited  class  have  no  place  in  such  a 
union.  The  rich  must  '  see  the  musical 
want  of  the  poor.  Providing  for  these, 
they  will  themselves  enjoy  the  highest 
p  gifts  of  the  art.     It  is  still  the  old  question 

of  concentration  of  forces  upon  serious 
concerted  instrumental  music  as  against 
the  frivolous  enchantment  of  operatic  van- 
ities. The  final  fruit  must  be  independent 
equipment  for  the  enjoyment  of  the  great 
master-works  of  music. 


175 


MUSIC   IN   PHILADELPHIA 


LIST  OF  MEMBERS  OF  THE 
MUSICAL  FUND  SOCIETY  AND  OF 
OFFICERS,  WITH  THE  DATE  OF 
TENURE,  ELECTED  BETWEEN  1820 
AND    1858. 


Abadie,  Hilarian. 
Abbott,  Robert,  M.D. 
Abercrombie,  Rev.  J. 
Adams,  Henry. 
Adams,  Martha. 
Adams,  R.  W. 
Adams,  Thomas. 
Adamson,  James. 
Aiken,  Joseph. 
Alexander,  Charles. 
Alexander,  Samuel. 
Allen,  James. 
Allen,  J.  B.  A. 
Allen,  Solomon. 
Allen,  William. 
Anderson,  J. 
Anderson,  James. 
Anderson,  William  V. 
Andrade,  Joseph. 
Andre,  William. 
Andrews,  Henry  W. 
Andrews,  John. 
Andrews,  R. 
Anerim,  James  H. 


Anners,  Robert  M. 
Ardley,  Alexander. 
Ash,  Joshua  P. 
Ashmead,  J. 
Ashton,  John. 
Asson,  Thomas  S. 
Astley,  Thomas,  Manager. 
Atherton,  Humphrey. 
Atwood,  John  H. 
Avignone,  Antonio. 
Aykrod,  James. 
Ayres,  R.  M.  R. 

Babcock,  H. 
Bache,  Franklin,  M.D. 
Bacon,  AUyn. 
Bacon,  George. 
Bacon,  Josiah. 
Badarague,  J. 
Badarague,  Thos.,  Jr. 
Baker,  Henry  S. 
Baker,  Isaac  F. 
Baker,  William  J. 
Baldwin,  M.  W. 
176 


MUSICAL   FUND   SOCIETY 


Baldwin,  S. 

Ballock,  Joseph,  M.D. 

Bancker,  Charles  G. 

Barclay,  B.  S. 

Barclay,  C.  B. 

Barclay,  John. 

Barker,   James    N.,    Man- 
ager. 

Barnes,  John,  M.D, 

Barnes,  John  H.,  Manager.     Benson,  D.  P. 

Barnett,  Joseph  S.,   Man-     Benson,  Gustavus. 
ager. 


Beck,  William  C. 
Beckett,  Henry. 
Bedell,  Rev.  Gregory  T. 
Beetz,  John  F. 
Bell,  James. 
Bell,  John,  M.D. 
Benners,  Henry  B. 
Benners,  James. 
Benson,  Alex'r,  Manager. 


Barrabino,  E. 
Barrington,  Charles. 
Barrow,  James. 
Barton,  E.  P. 
Barton,  Francis. 
Barton,  J.  Rhea,  M.D. 
Barry,  Edward. 
Barry,  Joseph. 
Barry,  Joseph  B. 
Bastert,  George. 
Bauersachs,  Louis  C. 
Bayard,  Charles  S. 
Bazley,  Charles  W. 
Beale,  Matthew  L. 
Beck,  Charles. 
Beck,  Charles  F.,  M.D. 
Beck,  Harvey. 
Beck,  Henry. 
Beck,  H.  Paul. 
Beck,  John. 
Beck,  Levi. 
Beck,  Jas.  Madison. 
Beck,  William. 
/ 


Bernadon,  J.  B. 
Bernhart,  Louis  F. 
Besson,  Louis  A. 
Bethell,  Robert. 
Bethune,  Rev.  George  W. 
Beyer,  G.  T.,  Manager. 
Beyland,  Joseph. 
Biddle,  Clement,  Jr. 
Biddle,  Col.  Clement  C. 
Biddle,  James. 
Biddle,  Nicholas. 
Biddle,  William  F. 
Biddle,  William  M. 
Bille,  Thomas. 
Billington,  Geo.,  Manager. 
Bingham,  William. 
Binny,  John. 
Binney,  Horace. 
Birch,  Wm.  Y.,  Manager. 
Birckhead,  Pollard  E. 
Bird,  James  M.,  Director. 
Bird,  John  D. 
Bispham,  Samuel. 
Bispham,  William. 
177 


MUSIC    IN    PHILADELPHIA 


Blackiston,  Mrs.  "W.  C. 
Blagg,  John. 
Blake,  George  E. 
Blake,  J.  R.,  M.D. 
Blanchard,  William. 
Blanchorn,  Irenaeus. 
Blaney,  Miss. 
Blight,  Charles. 
Blight,  George. 
Blight,  Peter. 
Blight,  William  S. 
Boggs,  James. 
Bohlen,  Henry. 
Bohlen,  John. 
Bohlen,  John,  Jr. 
Bolden,  George. 
Boiler,  Henry  J.,  Director. 
Bomeisler,  M. 
Bond,  James  M.,  M.D. 
Bonnaffon,  Anthony. 
Boocock,  John. 
Borie,  A.  E. 
Borie,  Charles  L. 
Borrekeus,  Henry  P.,  Man- 
ager, Director. 
Boulton,  John. 
Bowen,  John. 
Boyd,  William. 
Boyer,  C.  A. 

Boyle,  Wm.  V.,  Manager. 
Bradford,  J.  H.,  M.D. 
Breck,  Samuel. 
Breiter,  A.  K. 
Bremer,  John  L. 
Brenan,  E.  H. 


Brenan,  M.  E.,  Director. 

Brinton,  Miss  C. 

Brock,  John. 

Brolaskey,  Dr. 

Broom,  Jas.  M.,  Manager, 
Counsellor. 

Brown,  B. 

Brown,  Charles  J. 

Brown,  David  P. 

Brown,  G.  H. 

Brown,  G.  W. 

Brown,  Henry  A. 

Brown,  John. 

Brown,  N.  B.,  Counsel- 
lor. 

Browne,  Miss  Augusta. 

Browne,  H.  A. 

Bryan,  S.   Harvey. 

Buck,  C.  N. 

Bujac,  J.  Lachass6. 

Bulkley,  Charles. 

Bulkley,  J.   H. 

Bunker,  James. 

Bunting,  Thomas  H. 

Burd,  Albert  Gallatin. 

Burd,  Edward  S. 

Burke,  Mrs. 

Burnett,  E.  S. 

Burnett,  J.  G. 

Burrows,  Dr. 

Butcher,  Thomas  G. 

Butcher,  Washington. 

Butler,  John. 

Butler,  Pierce,  Director, 
1854-55. 


178 


MUSICAL   FUND    SOCIETY 


Cabell,  J.  C.  B. 

Cadwalader,  George. 

Caldwell,  D. 

Caldwell,  Edmund  B. 

Caldwell,  S. 

Camac,  AA^illiam  M. 

Campbell,  Colin. 

Campbell,  George,  Man- 
ager; Sec'y,  1827-56. 

Campbell,  Quintin,  Jr. 

Cantor,  Samuel. 

Caravadossi. 

Carazo,  John. 

Cardini,  Signor. 

Carey,  Henry  S. 

Carey,  Matthew. 

Carl,  W. 

Carlile,  Joseph  C. 

Carll,  Rev.  Maskell  W. 

Carr,  Benjamin,  Manager, 
Director. 

Carr,  Thomas,  Director. 

Carson,  Henry,  Manager. 

Carswell,  M.  S. 

Carter,  William  S. 

Carusi,  G. 

Carusi,  L. 

Carusi,  S. 

Casey,  W.  M. 

Cash,  Andrew  D. 

Cassin,  John. 

Castor,  Jesse  G. 

Catlin,  George. 

Chaloner,  W. 

Chamberlain,  William. 


Chancellor,  ^Vha^ton. 

Chapman,  Nathaniel,  M.D. 

Chardon,  Wm.  Rawle. 

Charnock,  John. 

Chester,  Henry,  Counsel- 
lor. 

Christie,  Wm, 

Churchman,  W.  H. 

Churr,  Jacob,  Jr. 

Clapier,  Fortune. 

Clark,  B.  W. 

Clark,  John  C. 

Clark,  John  W^. 

Clark,  J.  Y. 

Clarkson,  Charles. 

Clay,  Joseph  A.,  Counsel- 
lor. 

Clemens,  Benjamin  S. 

Clemens,  George. 

Clemson,  Thomas. 

Coates,  John  R. 

Cochran,  John. 

Cochran,  J.  Harvey. 

Cohen,  D.  J. 

Cole,  Isaac  P. 

Comrick,  Dr. 

Cookman,  Prank. 

Coombs,  Gilbert  A. 

Cooper,  Francis. 

Cooper,  George  B. 

Cooper,  S.  P. 

Cooper,  Thomas. 

Cope,  E.  R. 

Cope,  F.  S. 

Cope,  John  E. 


179 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 


Copper,  T. 
Corbin,  Francis  P. 
Corfield,  Edward  D. 
Cornelius,  C. 
Cornelius,  Robert. 
Cortetz,  F.  A. 
Cowitzky. 

Cowperthwaite,  J.  W. 
Cox,  George  W. 
Cox,  Isaac  N. 
Cox,  John. 
Cox,  Mrs.  John. 
Coxe,  Alexander  S. 
Coxe,  William  S. 
Craig,  G.  S. 
Craig,  James, 
Craig,  William. 
Craige,  G.  S. 
Crease,  Charles  J. 
Crease,  W.  S. 
Creighton,  Robert. 
Cresson,  John  M. 
Crissy,  James,  Manager. 
Crosby,  Thomas. 
Cross,  Benjamin,  Director 
Cross,  B.  Carr,  Director. 
Crozier,  J.  G. 
Cuesta,  Leandro  de  la. 
Cunnington,  W.  P. 
Curdwell,  H.  B. 
Cuthrall,  Charles  E.,  Man 

ager. 
Cuthrall,  Charles  S. 
Cuyler,     Theodore,    Man 

ager,  Counsellor. 


Dallas,  Capt.  A.  J. 

Dallett,  Elijah. 

Dallett,  Henry  C. 

Dallett,  John. 

Dannenberg,  Charles. 

Darley,  F.  T.  S. 

Darley,  John.'j 

Darley,  W.  H.  W.,  Direc- 
tor. 

Darrach,  William,  M.D. 

Darrainville,  Henry. 

Davenport,  W. 

David,  J.  T.,  Director. 

Davids,  Hugh. 

Davidson,  Robert  B.,  Man- 
ager. 

Davis,  Armon. 

Davis,  Justinian  F. 

Davis,  J.  M. 

Davis,  M.,  M.D. 

Davis,  Mrs.  M. 

Davis,  Miss  M. 

Davis,  Col.  S.  B. 

Dawson,  E.  B. 
.     De  Bille,  Torben. 

De  Bree,  John  B. 

Deland,  Thorndike. 

Delprat,  John  C. 

De  Luce,  Nathaniel. 

De  Luce,  Mrs.  N. 

-  Demme,  Rev.  Charles. 
Denckla,  Paul. 
Denman,  Matthew  B. 

-  Dennison,  George. 
Desilver,  Miss  E. 

x8o 


MUSICAL   FUND    SOCIETY 


Desilver,  Robert. 

De  Silver,  Thomas. 

Dessaigne,  E. 

De  Wees,  Miss  Adaline. 

Dewees,  Hardman  P, 

Dewees,  Theodore. 

De  Wees,  Wm.  S.,  M.D. 

President,  1820-38. 
Dick,  William. 
Dickel,  William. 
Dickson,  J.  N. 
Dickson,  Levi. 
Dietz,  A.  R. 
Dietz,  Rudolph. 
Dillingham,  W.  S. 
D'lnvilliers,  C. 
Dittrich,  W. 
Donaldson,  Miss  M. 
Donnell,  J.  C. 
Dougherty,  J.  L. 
Dougherty,  Lewis. 
Doughty,  J. 
Douredoure,  B. 
Drake,  A.,  M.D. 
Draper,  Edmund. 
Draper,  William. 
Dreyfous,  S. 
Drexel,  Francis  M. 
Drexel,  Joseph  W. 
Drinker,  William  W 
Drown,  W.  A.,  Jr. 
Drysdale,  William. 
Duane,  William  J. 
Du  Bois,  Louis  P.,  Man 

ager. 


Dufour,  George. 

Duhring,  Henry. 

Dulles,  Joseph  H.,  Jr. 

Dumonter,  Miss  Jane. 

Duncan,  Benjamin. 

Duncan,  T.  O. 
,     Dundas,  James. 

Dunham,  Manager. 

Dunglison,  Robley,  M.D., 
Manager  ;  Vice  -  Presi- 
dent, 1850-53,  1855-56; 
President,  1853-54,  1856- 
69. 

Dunglison,  William  J. 

Duponceau,  Peter  S. 

Dupuy,  Rev.  C.  M. 

Durand,  E. 

Durand,  John. 

Durney,  Tobias  M. 

Duval,  Lewis. 

Dyer,  Samuel. 

Dyke,  Phineas. 

Dyke,  Ph.  B. 

Earle,  George  W. 

Earp,  Randall. 

Eberle,  F.   E. 

Eberle,  Jacob. 

Eberle,  John,  M.D. 

Eckert,  George. 

Edwards,  J.  G. 

Edwards,  Thomas  J. 

Eisenbrey,  Philip. 
-     Ellis,  Thomas  J. 

Ellmaker,  Levi. 
181 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 


Elton,  Mrs.  A. 
Ely,  John,  Jr., 
Emerick,  George. 
Emerson,  Gouverneur, 

M.D.,  Physician. 
Emlen,  Miss  Deborah. 
Emlen,  George. 
Engles,  Joseph  P. 
Engles,  Rev.  William  M, 
English,  Gustavus. 
Erringer,  J.  L. 
Erwin,  Robert. 
Etting,  Benjamin. 
Evans,  Charles  H. 
Evens,  Whitton. 

Farnum,  James  A. 

Farr,  George  W. 

Farrouihl,  Andrew,  Man- 
ager. 

Fassitt,  Wallace. 

Fell,  Reese  D. 

Fenton,  W.  C. 

Ferguson,  Peter. 

Fest,  Frederick. 

Field,  John  W. 

Field,  Samuel. 

Finley,  Anthony. 

Fiot,  A.,  Director, 

Fisher,  Joseph,  Director, 
Manager. 

Fisher,  Rodney. 

Fisher,  Sidney  George. 

Fitch,  S.  S. 

Fitzgerald,  Thomas. 


Fletcher,  Thomas. 
Fleur,  Charles. 
Fontages,  M. 
Forsyth,  William  T. 
Fort,  Louis  C. 
Foster,  Joseph  H. 
Fowle,  Jonathan,  Jr. 
Fox,   George. 
Frailey,  J.  W. 
Frank,  J. 

Frazer,  Miss  Eliza. 
Frazer,  John  F. 
Frazer,  Persifor. 
Frederick,  J.   L. 
Freeman,  Henry  G. 
Freytag,  Daniel  C. 
Fry,  Edward  P. 
Fry,  John  H. 
Fry,  Joseph  R.,  Director. 
Fry,  William. 
Fuller,  Oliver. 
Fuss,  John. 

Gallagher,  Daniel. 
Gandiehand,  P. 
Gardner,  Sidney. 
Garrett,  William  E. 
Garrigues,  Wm.  H. 
Garrison,  Joseph. 
George,  Joseph. 
Getze,  F.  A. 
Gibbs,  A. 
Gibson,  D. 

Gibson,  Hon.  John  B. 
Gillaspie,  Mrs. 


182 


MUSICAL   FUND    SOCIETY 


Gilles,  Mrs.  Ann. 

Gilles,  P.,  Director. 

Gillingham,  C.  J. 

Gillingham,  W.  H.,  M.D, 

Gilpin,  Henry  D.,  Counsel- 
lor. 

Gobrecht,  C. 

Goddard,  Mrs.  John. 

Good,  Cyrus  J.,  Manager 

Gording,  Miss. 

Goucher,  William  D. 

Graff,  Charles,  Manager. 

Graff,  Christopher. 

Graff,  Frederick. 

Graff,  Jacob. 

Graham,  John,  Director. 

Graham,  Peter. 

Graham,  W.  Hicks. 

Grant,  Joseph  P. 

Gratz,  Joseph. 

Gray,  Miss  Mary  B. 

Gray,  Robert  E. 

Greaves,  Joseph    R. 

Gregg,  Hancock  J. 

Greiner,  George. 

Greland,  John,  Manager. 

Greland,  John  F. 

Greland,  Titon,  Director. 

Grice,  George  W. 

Grier,  J.  Mason. 

Griffith,  J.  P. 

Griffith,  Robert  E.,  M.D. 
Manager,  Physician. 

Griffiths,  Samuel  P.,  Man 
ager. 


Griffitts,  Franklin  P. 
Grimes,  John. 
Groves,  Daniel. 
Gubert,  Madame. 
Gubert,  Miss  Louisa. 
Gubert,  T.  E.,  Director. 
Gulager,  \A/'illiam. 
Gummey,  Thomas  A. 
Guthrie,  Joseph  M. 
Gwinn,  John. 

Haedrich,  Charles  L. 

Haedrich,  Henry. 

Hagedorn,  Edward. 

Hagedorn,  Mrs.  Edward. 

Hagner,  M.  V. 

Halbrach,  Arnold. 

Hall,  James. 

Hall,  W.  C. 

Ham,  Joseph  W. 

Hamer,  Jacob. 

Hampton,  Alexander. 

Hand,  James  C. 

Hansen,  William  S. 

Hansen,  E.  R. 

Harding,  Jesper. 

Hare,  J.  C. 

Hare,  Robert,  M.D. 

Harmstead,  James. 

Harold,  Alfred. 

Harold,  William. 
,     Harper,  Charles. 

Harrington,  Daniel. 

Harris,  Joseph  B. 

Harris,  Lewitt. 
183  • 


MUSIC    IN    PHILADELPHIA 


Harris,  Thomas,  M.D. 
Harrison,  Joseph. 
Harrison,  John  H. 
Harrison,  William. 
Harrold,  F. 

Hart,  Abram  L.,  Manager 
Hart,  Hyman  M. 
Hart,  Theodore  M. 
Hartley,  John  M. 
Harvey,  George  N. 
Haslam,  Mrs.  C.  E. 
Hassler,  Henry. 
Hassler,  Isaac. 
Hassler,  Simon. 
Hausman,  Benjamin. 
Hausman,  C.  F. 
Haven,  Charles  C. 
Haven,  T.  A. 
Haviland,  John. 
Hawkins,  Wm.,  Manager 
Hays,  Henry. 
Hays,   Isaac,   M.D.,  Man 

ager.  Physician. 
Heberton,  G.  D. 
Hel6,  James  E. 
Helmuth,  George. 
Hemphill,  Robert  J. 
Henderson,  James. 
Henry,  Julien. 
Hepty,  F. 
Hertzog,  Peter. 
Hewitt,  Miss  Ann  Eliza. 
Heylin,  Isaac,  M.D. 
Heysham,  Robert. 
Hickman,  Nathaniel. 


Hill,  R.  C. 

Hill,  W.  K. 

Hirst,  James  M. 

Holmes,  John. 

HoUerman,  John  F. 

HoUingsworth,  Samuel. 

HoUinsworth,  T.  G. 

Hommann,  J.  C,  Director, 
Manager. 

Hommann,  J.  C,  Jr. 

Hood,  William. 

Hope,  Isaac. 

Hopewell,  E. 

Hopkins,  Thomas. 

Hopkinson,  Francis. 

Hopkinson,  John  S. 

Hopkinson,  Oliver. 

Hopkinson,  O.  S. 

Horner,  Wm.  E.,  M.D. 
.     Houston,  Joseph. 

Houston,  John  M. 

Houston,  J.  W.,  Secretary, 
1822-27. 

Houston,  H.  H. 

Howell,  Miss  Beulah. 

Hubbs,  John  E. 

Hubbs,  Paul  K, 

Hubner,  F.  A. 

Hudson,     Edward,     Man- 
ager. 

Hudson,  Mrs.  E. 

Hiittner,  Frederick,   M.D., 
Director. 

Hughes,  Rev.  John. 

Hughes,  Thomas. 
Z84 


MUSICAL   FUND    SOCIETY 


Hugner,  Charles  V. 
Humphreys,  Sterne. 
Hunneker,  John. 
Hupfeld,  Chas.  F,,  Director. 
Hupfeld,  John. 
Hurley,  Michael,  D.D. 
Hurst,  Edward  J. 
Hutchinson,  Randall. 

Innis,  F.  B. 
Ivanoff,  Theodore. 
Izard,  Alicie. 
Izard,  Gen.  George. 
Izard,  Ralph. 

Jackson,  Samuel,  M.D. 
James,  J. 

James,  Thomas  C,  Man- 
ager. 
Jandon,  Samuel. 
Jankie,  John  W. 
Jarvis,  Charles. 
Jenke. 

Jenks,  Watson. 
Jennings,  John. 
Jewell,  John  B.,  Jr. 
Jewell,  Leonard. 
Johnson,  Miss  Jane. 
Johnson,  S.  R. 
Johnson,  W.  A. 
Johnson,  Walter  R. 
Johnston,  Joseph  S. 
Jones,  George  B. 
Jones,  George  F.,  Manager. 
Jones,  Horatio. 


Jones,  John  T. 
Jones,  Joseph. 
Jones,  Thomas  C. 
Jones,  William  J. 
Jordan,  John,  Jr. 
Jordan,  Thomas. 

Kane,  John  K.,  Manager, 
Director,  Counsellor  ; 
Secretary,  1820-21 ;  Vice- 
President,  1829-34,  1838- 
50;  President,  1854-56. 

Kane,  Mrs.  John  K. 

Kane,  Thomas  L.,  Coun- 
sellor, Manager. 

Karsten,  John  H.,  M.D. 

Kay,  James,  Jr.,  Manager. 

Kayser,  John  C. 

Kayser,  John  G.,  M.D. 

Keating,  John,  Jr.,  Man- 
ager, Counsellor. 

Keating,WilliamH.,M.D., 
Vice-President,  1834-36. 

Keating,  William  H.,  Jr., 
Counsellor. 

Keen,  Charles. 

Kellner,  August. 

Kelly,  Miss. 

Kennedy,  Isaac  P. 

Kester,  George. 

Keyser,  Elhanan  W.,  Di- 
rector, Manager  ;  Vice- 
President,  1853-54, 1856- 
60. 

Kid,  Robert  C. 


185 


MUSIC    IN    PHILADELPHIA 


King,  John. 

Kingston,  Stephen. 

Kittera,  Thomas,  Counsel- 
lor. 

Klemm,  F.  A. 

Klemm,  John  George,  Di 
rector. 

Kneass,  William. 

Knox,  J.  A. 

Koecker,  Leonard. 

Koppetz,  M.  C. 

Korkhaus,  Andrew. 

Korndofer,  A. 

Krollman. 

Krumbhaar,  Lewis,  Jr. 

Krumbhaar,  William. 

Krumbhaar,  William,  Jr. 

Kugler,  Lewis. 

Kuhl,  Henry. 

Kuhn,  Charles,  Manager. 

Kuhn,  Chas.,  Jr.,  Man 
ager. 

Kuhn,  Hartman. 

Kuhn,  Hartman,  Jr. 

Labb6,  C.  F. 

Lafitte,  John  L.,  Director. 

La  Forgne,  Miss  Eliza. 

Laguerrenne,  P.  L. 

Lajus,  Paul. 

Lammot,    Daniel,    Treas 

urer,  1820. 
Lancaster,  J.  B. 
Lancaster,  Thomas. 
Lapsley,  J.  B. 


La  Roche,  Ren6,  Jr.,  M.D., 

Physician,  Director. 
La  Roche,  Mrs.  Ren6. 
Lasalle,  Stephen  B. 
Latimer,  James. 
■     Laval,  Mrs.  John. 
Lawrence,  William  P. 
Lee,  Isaac,  Manager. 
Learning,  Thomas  F. 
Le  Brun,  N.,  Manager. 
Leedom,  J.  J. 
Le  FoUe,  J.,  Director. 
Lehman,  E.   M. 
Lehman,  George  S. 
Lehman,  Sylvanus. 
Lehman,  William. 
Leiper,  Miss  A.  G. 
Lennard,  Wm.  J. 
Lennig,  Nicholas. 
Leonard,  James. 

-  Le  Roy,  J.  B. 
Leslie,  Charles  M.  F. 
Levan,  W. 
Levering,  Charles  H. 
Levering,  Edward. 
Levering,  Joseph  S. 
Levy,  E.  S. 

Lewis,  David,  Jr. 
Lewis,  George. 
Lewis,  George  T. 

-  Lewis,  J.  L. 
Lewis,  John  T. 
Lewis,  Lewis. 
Lewis,  Mordecai  D. 
Lewis,  Richard  A. 

186 


MUSICAL    FUND    SOCIETY 


Lewis,  S.  W. 
Lewis,  Wm.  D.,  Manager 
Lewis,  W.  J. 
Lex,    Charles     E.,    Direc- 
tor. 
Lex,  Jacob,  Manager. 
Lex,  Jacob  H. 
Linn,  John  H. 
Linnard,  J.  M. 
Linnard,  Thomas  M. 
Lippincott,  'William. 
Littell,  E. 
Littell,  John. 
Littell,  S.,  M.D. 
Lohman,  J. 
Long,  Major  S.  H. 
Longstreth,  C.  S. 
Lorich,  Major  L. 
Loud,  John. 
Loud,  Philologus. 
Loud,  Thomas,  Director. 
Lovering,  Joseph  S. 
Lowber,  Edward,  M.D. 
Lowber,  John  C. 
Lowber,  William  T. 
Lloyd,  Samuel. 
Luke,  William. 
Lukens,  Isaiah. 
Lukens,  Israel. 
Lybrand,  P.  S. 
Lynch,  William,  Jr. 
Lynd,  James. 

Mackey,  C.  C. 
Mactier,  Wm.  L. 


Madeira,   Louis    C,   Man- 
ager; Secretary,  1856-58. 

Maitland,  Peter  J. 
-     Mallet,  F.  D. 

Mange,  Samuel. 

Manning,  Thomas. 

Manuel,  E. 

Marchmant,  H. 

Markoe,  James. 

Markoe,  Mrs.  John. 

Marks,  Hyman. 

Maris,  Richard,  M.D. 

Maris,  Thomas  R. 

Marsh,  ^A^illiam. 

Marshall,  Gilbert. 

Martel,  Charles. 

Martien,  J.  W. 

Martien,  W^illiam  S. 

Martin,  George. 

Martin,  John  B. 

Marx,  J.  P. 

Matthews,  Mrs.  Alecia. 

Mayer,  F.  W. 

Mayer,  Rev.  Philip. 

Mayers,  M. 

McClellan,  George,  M.D. 

McCready,  J.,  M.D. 

McCull,    Henry,    Counsel- 
lor. 

McEwen,  Charles. 

McFarland,  James  B. 

McGinley,  D.  B. 

McGowden,  John. 

McGowen,  J. 

Mcllhenney,  J.  E. 
187 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 


Mcllhenney,  William  J. 
Director,  Manager;  Sec- 
retary,  1821-22. 

Mcllvaine,  Bloomfield. 

Mcllvaine,  William. 

McKean,  Miss  Mary. 

McKinley,  E. 

McLane,  Allan. 

McLeod,  Mrs.  Isabella. 

McMain,  J.  W. 

McMurtrie,  James. 

McPherson,  E.  M. 

Meade,  Miss  Henrietta. 

Meade,  Richard  W. 

Meade,  Mrs.  Richard  W. 

Meignen,  Leopold,  Direc 
tor. 

Meigs,  Charles,  M.D. 

Melizet,  J.  M. 

Meredith,  William. 

Merrick,  John. 

Merrick,  Samuel  V.,  Man 
ager. 

Messchert,  H.,  Jr. 

Messchert,  M.  H. 

Mifflin,  Benjamin. 

Mifflin,  Charles,  M.D. 

Miles,  James. 

Millard,  James. 

Miller,  A.  J. 

Miller,  Clement  S. 

Miller,  D.  S. 

Miller,  John  J. 

Miller,  T.  George, 

Milnor,  J.  R. 


,     Milnor,  Robert. 

-  Milnor,  Thomas. 
Mintzer,  Charles  A. 
Mitchell,  John  K.,  M.D. 
Mitcheson,  D.  W. 
Montelius,  William.,  Man- 
ager. 

Montgomery,      John       C, 

Manager. 
Moore,  Marmaduke. 
Moore,  W. 
Morgan,  Thomas  W. 
Morris,  Caspar  W. 
Morris,  Robert. 
Morrison,  George. 

-  Morrison,  William  M. 
Morse,  Henry. 
Mortimer,  John. 
Morton,  George,  M.D. 
Morton,  Samuel  G.,  M.D. 
Moses,  Isaac. 

-  Moss,  E.  L. 
Moss,  John. 
Muhlenberg,  Rev.  A. 
Muhlenberg,  Frederick  A. 
Muller,  Augfustus. 
MuUer,  M. 

Mumford,  C.  F. 
Murray,  James  W. 
Musser,  Anna  S. 
Miitter,  Thomas  D.,  M.D., 

Physician. 
Myerle,  David. 
Myers,  William. 

x88 


MUSICAL   FUND   SOCIETY 


Nathans,  Nathan. 

Negus,  James. 

Neill,  John,  M.D.,  Physi- 
cian. 

Nevins,  James. 

Nevins,  J.  West,  Man- 
ager. 

Nevins,  Richard. 

Nevins,  Samuel. 

Newbold,  John  L. 

Newman,  Thomas. 

Nicholas,  Charles  J.,  Direc- 
tor. 

Nichols,  A.  St.  Clair. 

Nicklin,  Philip  H. 

Nidelet,  Stephen  F. 

Norris,  Isaac. 

Norris,  Joseph   P.,  Jr. 

Norris,  William.,  Jr.,  Di- 
rector. 

Norwell,  John. 

Notman,  John. 

Nowell,  James. 

Nulty,  E. 

Nunes,  John  F. 

Oldmixon,  William  H. 
O'Neill,  John. 
Otis,  Bass. 
Otto,  Jacob. 
Otto,  Janet. 

Page,  James. 
Palacio,  J. 
Palmer,  Charles  C. 


Palmer,  Thomas  H.,  Direc- 
tor. 

Pancoast,  Miss  M. 

Parke,  Miss  Hannah. 

Parke,  James  P. 

Parsons,  John  G. 

Patton,  John  C. 

Patrallo,  Nicholas. 

Patrallo,  Mrs.  N. 

Patterson,  James  V.,  M.D. 

Patterson,  Dr.  Robert  M., 
Vice-President,  1820-29, 
1836-38 ;  President,  183a- 

53- 

Patterson,  Mrs.  Robert  M. 

Patterson,  Robert,  Man- 
ager. 

Patterson,  Robert  L. 

Patterson,  W.  O. 

Paxon,  J.  R. 

Pchellas,  John  F. 

Peabody,  George  F. 

Peace,  Joseph,  M.D.,  Phy- 
sician. 

Peacock,  Gibson. 

Peale,  Franklin,  Director. 

Peale,  Titian. 

Pearson,  Henry  B. 

Pechin,  John  C. 

Peddle,  W.  A. 

Peixoto,  A.  C. 

Peneveyre,  Charles. 

Pennington,  John. 

Percival,  Thomas  C,  Man- 
ager. 
i8g 


MUSIC    IN    PHILADELPHIA 


Perdriaux,  H. 
Perdriaux,  Peter,  Director, 
Perics,  Adolphus. 
Perkins,  S.  H. 
Perrelli,  Natalie. 
Perrine,  F. 
Perring,  L. 
Perris,  E.  H. 
Persico,  Jean. 
Peters,  Richard,  Jr. 
Phillips,  Mrs.  Isaac. 
Phillips,  J. 
Phillips,  John  S. 
Phillips,  Miss  S. 
Pierie,  J.  G. 
Pierie,  W.  S. 
Piers,  G.  R. 
Pleasanton,  Augustus. 
Pleasants,  Samuel. 
Plitt,  George. 
Pohl,  Paul. 
Pollard,  A.,  Jr. 
Pollock,  W.  N. 
Poole,  A.   R. 
Potter,  Sheldon. 
Potts,  Rev.  George  C. 
Potts,  Percival  M. 
Poulson,  Charles  A.,  Man- 
ager. 
Poulson,  Mrs.  Charles  A. 
Poultney,  Charles  W. 
Poval,  Richard,  M.D. 
Powell,  George. 
Preiser,  J.  B. 
Prevost,  Henry  M. 


Price,  John  M. 
Pringle,  Miss  Mary. 
Prinzet,  S.  D. 
Prud'homme,  D.  F, 
Purry,  Rowland. 

Rainhard,  John. 

Ralston,  Ashbel. 

Ralston,  Gerard,  Manager. 

Randall,  Josiah. 

Randolph,  E. 

Randolph,  William. 

Read,    James,    Jr.,     Man- 
ager. 

Read,  John  M. 

Read,  William  B. 

Redwood,  William. 

Reed. 

Reese,  Jacob. 

Reeve,    Mark    M.,    M.D., 
Physician. 

Reeves,  Thomas. 

Rehn,  Casper. 

Rehn,  G.  T. 

Reinhart,  Adolph,  Director. 

Remington,  Clement. 

Rice,  Rev.  John. 
•     Richards,  Benjamin  W. 

Richards,  Mark,  Manager. 

Richards,  Thomas  S 

Richardson,  W.  C. 

Riehle,  John. 

Rielly,  Captain  Thomas. 

Rinch,  Francis. 

Rinch,  Louis. 
I  go 


MUSICAL   FUND    SOCIETY 


Ritter,  Abraham,  Director, 
Manager. 

Ritter,  A.,  Jr. 

Ritter,  G.  W. 

Ritter,  Jacob. 

Robb,  Samuel. 

Robbins,  S.  J.,  Manager. 

Roberts,  Charles  F. 

Roberts,  Edward. 

Roberts,  Thomas  P.,  Man- 
ager. 

Rockhill,  A.   C. 

Roellig,  M. 

Rogers,  Judge  M.  C. 

Roppe,  C.  A. 

Rosengarten,  George  D. 

Rubicam,  J. 

Ruddach,  D.  J. 

Rudiman,  W.  C,  Jr. 

Rudolph,  C.   F. 

Rundle,  Miss  Frances. 

Rundle,  George,  Manager. 

Runkle,  Theo. 

Rush,  James,  M.D.,  Physi- 
cian. 

Rush,  William,  M.D. 

Russell,  J.  S. 

Ryan,  L. 

Samuel,  David. 
Sanderson,  Joseph  M. 
Sandford,  John  W. 
Sanford,  John  W. 
Sarrazin,  Mrs.  Lucretia. 
Savage,  John. 


Say,  Benjamin,  Manager. 

Schaffer,  W.   L. 

Scherer,  L. 

Scherr,  E.  N. 

Schetky,  Miss  Caroline. 

Schetky,  George,  Manager, 
Director. 

Schively,  Henry. 

Schmidt,  V.  A. 

Schmitz,    Adolph,    Direc- 
tor. 

Seixas,  A. 

Sergeant,  David. 

Sellers,  Charles. 

Sellers,  George  E. 

Shackeford,  Mrs.  Maria. 

Shackelford,  A.  H. 

Shaffer,  G.  S. 

Sharpe,  H.  J. 

Shaw,  W.  H. 

Shaw,  William,  M.D. 

Sheaff,  H.  W. 

Sheepshanks,  Miss    Caro- 
line. 

Shewell,  L.  D. 

Shivers,  Thomas. 

Short,  William. 

Shull,  John  B. 

Sidebotham,  John. 

Simmons,  Samuel. 

Simpson,  Henry. 

Sinis,   Robert. 

Siter,  John,  Jr. 

Skerrett,    David   C,  M.D., 
Physician. 
91 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 


Skerrett,  James  J.,  Man- 
ager. 

Skinner,  Rev.  Thomas  H. 

Slaymaker,  Stephen  C. 

Small,  Robert  H. 

Smith,  Aaron. 

Smith,  B.  S.,  M.D. 

Smith,  Charles. 

Smith,  Charles  S. 

Smith,  Francis  Gurney, 
Manager,  Treasurer, 

1820-64. 

Smith,  Mrs.  F.  G. 

Smith,  Francis  Gurney, 
M.D.,  Physician,  1820- 
64. 

Smith,  Gurney. 

Smith,  G.  Washington, 
Manager. 

Smith,  Harrison. 

Smith,  James  D, 

Smith,  Jesse. 

Smith,  Richard  S.,  Man- 
ager. 

Smith,  Robert,  Manager. 

Smith,  Mrs.  R.  S. 

Smith,  S.  Decatur,  Man- 
ager, Director. 

Smith,  William. 

Smith,  W.  H. 

Smith,  William  P. 

Smith,  William  S.,  Man- 
ager, Director. 

Smith,  William  Sydney. 

Smith,  William  T. 


Snelling,  J.  B. 
Snider,  Jacob. 
Snowden,  Dr.  Isaac. 
Snowden,  J.  Ross. 
Solomon,  Henry. 
Souder,  E.  A. 
South,  George  W, 
Sparks,  Thomas. 
Spencer,  Asa. 
Sperry,  Miss  Maria. 
Stacey,  David  B. 
Stanbury,  A.  P. 
Standbridge,  A.  T. 
Standbridge,  J.  C.  B,,  Direc- 

tor. 
Stanley,  Norris. 
Starr,  Isaac. 
Steele,  Albert  W. 
Steele,  John. 
Steele,  John,  Jr. 
Stellwagon,  Charles. 
Stephenson,  Rowland. 
Stevenson,  William  W. 
Stewart,  Thomas. 
Stewart,  William  H. 
Stiles,  Thomas. 
Stille,  Benjamin. 
Stockman,  Jacob. 
Stockton,  S.  A. 
Stoll,  William. 
Stolte,  C.  F.,  Director. 
Stone,  Asaph. 
Stone,  C.  H. 
Stone,  J. 
Stratton,  W.  A. 


192 


MUSICAL    FUND    SOCIETY 


Strickland,  William,  Man- 
ager. 

Strickland,  Mrs.  William. 

Stroup,  William  T. 

Struthers,  John. 

Stutgard,  Isaac. 

Sulger,  Miss  Margaret. 

Sullivan,  John  T.  S.,  Direc- 
tor, Counsellor. 

Sully,  Thomas,  Director. 

Swaberg,  J.  W. 

Swaim,  James. 

Swift,  John. 

Sykes,  Robert  W. 

Sylvester,  N. 

Taitt,  Samuel. 
Taitt,  W. 
Tanner,  Henry  S. 
Tatem,  Miss  Emily  A. 
Taws,  Miss  Henrietta. 
Taws,  John. 

Taws,  Joseph  C,  Director. 
Taylor,  George  M.,  Direc- 
tor. 
Taylor,  Rajmor,  Director. 
Taylor,  Robert. 
Tesseire,  Anthony. 
Thackara,  William. 
Thackara,  William  W. 
Thein,  Christopher. 
Thomas,  Joseph  M. 
Thomas,  Moses. 
Thomas,  Samuel  H. 
Thompson,  A.  W. 

m  193 


Thompson,  W.  E. 
Thorbecke,  Herman. 
Throckmorton,  E. 
Tiers,  T.  B. 
Tilghman,  Benjamin. 
Tilghman,  B. 
Tingley,  B.  W. 
Togno,  Joseph,  M.D. 
Toland,  Henry. 
Toland,  Robert. 
Tolbert,  John. 
Torrey,  S. 
Towne,  John  H. 
Townsend,  John  K. 
Traquair,  Adam. 
Trautwine,  J.  A.  C. 
Treichel,  Charles. 
Trevor,  Miss. 
Trevor,  John  B. 
Troutman,  L.  M. 
Trucson,  George  E. 
Tschirner,  L.  A. 
Tucker,  George. 
Tunis,  Robert  R. 

Uhlman,  J. 

Underwood,  Thomas, Man- 
ager. 

Vanderkemp,  J.  J. 
Vansyckle,  P.  S. 
Vaughn,  John. 
Verou,  Thomas. 
Vezin,  Charles. 
Vezin,  Charles. 


MUSIC   IN    PHILADELPHIA 


Viereck,  J.  C. 
Vinton,  C.  A. 

Wagner,  John. 
Wagner,  James  D. 
Wainwright,  J. 
Waldron,  N. 
Walker,  Joseph. 
Walker,  E.  L. 
Walkins,  Charles. 
Wallace,  J.  W. 
Walmsley,  William  D. 
Walmsley,    Wm.    Mason, 

Manager. 
Wain,  Lewis. 
Walters,  A.  G. 
Warder,  John  R. 
Ware,  Lewis  S. 
Waterman,  E. 
Waterman,  Isaac  S. 
Watmough,  E.  C. 
Watson,  Charles  C. 
Watson,  Francis. 
Watson,  Henry  R. 
Weaver,  George. 
Webb,  L.  W. 
Webb,  W.  H. 
^A^ebste^,  Thomas,  Jr. 
Weiland,  F. 
W^eisse,  John  D. 
Welch,  Joseph. 
Welford,  Robert. 
Welsh,  John  R. 
W^elsh,  Samuel. 
Wetherill,  Christopher. 


W^etherill,  John  P. 
Whale,  Henry. 
Wharton,  Francis   R. 
Wharton,  John. 
Wharton,  Thomas  J. 
Wheeler,  John. 
Whelen,  Townsend. 
White,  Britain. 
White,  David. 
White,  Henry  R. 
White,  John. 
Whitesides,  William. 
Wilcocks,     Alex.,      M.D., 

Physician. 
Wilcox,  Edmund. 
Wilhelm,  Frederick. 
Wilkinson,  George. 
W^ilks,  Benjamin  G.  S. 
Williamson,  Michael. 
Willig,  George. 
Willing,  Mrs.  Augusta. 
Willing,  George  C. 
Wilmer,  John  R. 
Wilmer,  J.  Ringold. 
Wiltberger,  Theo.  N. 
Winner,  Septimus. 
Wistar,  Richard. 
Wistar,  Mrs.  Richard. 
Woglam,  P. 
Wolfe,  Aaron. 
Wolfe,  J.  K. 
Wolle,  Rev.  Peter. 
Wolsieffer,  P.  M. 
Womrath,  George  F. 
Wood,  Joseph. 
94 


MUSICAL   FUND   SOCIETY 


Wood,  Richard  C. 
Woodward,  J.  S. 
Woodward,  W.  H, 
Woolworth,  Robert. 
Worley,  F. 
Worrell,  Albert. 
Worrell,  J. 
Worrell,  J.  C. 
Worrell,  Joseph. 


Wright,  Charles. 
Wright,  John  B. 
Wright,  J.  M. 
Wright,  Jonathan  M.,  Di- 
rector. 
Wright,  Thomas  A. 
Wylie,  Rev.  S.  B, 

Zantzinger,  George. 


195 


INDEX 


Academy  of  Fine  Arts,  io6. 
Academy  of  Music,  162. 
Acis  and  Galatea,  Serenata, 

by  Handel,  91. 
Adams,  John,  24,  25. 
Alboni,  160. 
Amodio,  170,  173. 
Antognini,  Cerillo,  151, 153. 
Art6t,  150. 

Astley,  Thomas,  59,  63. 
Athenian  Institute,  119- 

121. 
Austin,  Mrs.,  127,  139. 

Bach,  98. 

Badiale,  Cesare,  167. 

Baptists,  24. 

Bazaar,  for  the  benefit  of 
the  Musical  Fund  So- 
ciety, 157-160. 

Beethoven,  57,  68,  73,  98, 
104,  109,  130,  144,  152, 
153,  154,  155,  168. 

Billings,  W.,  36. 

Binney,  Horace,  118. 

Bishop,  Madame,  159. 

Bishop,  Sir  Henry,  73,  80, 
104. 


Bishop  White,  19-21,  118, 

Boccherini,  57,  98,  104. 

Boieldieu,  103. 

Bradford's  "  Pennsylvania 
Journal,"  29,  31. 

Braham,  John,  137,  140. 

Brenan,  M.  E.,  60,  63. 

Brignoli,  160,  170,  172. 

British  Officers  under  Gen- 
eral Howe  in  Philadel- 
phia, 33- 

Brown,  David  Paul,  iig. 

Bull,  Ole,  148,  X49,  151. 

Burke,  Mrs.,  79,  80. 

Bush  Hill,  38. 

Campbell,  George,  165, 174. 
Caradori   Allen,    Madame, 

109,  138,  139. 
Carpenters'   Court,  63,  67, 

69,  80,  82. 
Carpenters'  Hall,  63,  91. 
Carpenters'  Society,  75. 
Carr,  Benjamin,  22,  42,  49, 

50,  52,  58,  59,  60,  62,  71, 

72,  76,  83,  87,  107,  112, 

124. 
Carr,  Thomas,  56. 


197 


INDEX 


Casella,  150. 

Castellan,  Madame,  150. 

Cherubini,  gS,  146. 

Chopin,  155,  161. 

Christ  Church,  18,  19. 

dementi,  98. 

College     of    Philadelphia, 

30,  31- 
Composers,  Early,  36. 
Continental   Congress,  32, 

33- 
Cross,  Benjamin,  59,  60,  83, 

106,  124,  173. 
Cross,  Benjamin  C,  139. 
"  Creation,"     by     Haydn, 

56,  68,  78,  79,  81,  82,  84, 
87,  91,  103,  104,  144,  146, 
162. 

"  Daily  Advertiser,"  Poul- 

son's,  109. 
Damoureau,  Madame  Cin- 

ti,  150. 
Darley,  J.  C,  50,  54. 
Darley,  John,  38, 
Dempster,  159. 
Dettingen    Te    Deum,    by 

Handel,  91,  95,  96,  97. 
De    Wees,   Dr.    Wm.    P., 

57,  58,  59.  67,  76. 
Donizetti,  154. 
Duponceau,  Peter  S.,  57. 


Eckert,  Carl,  167. 
Elliott's  Hotel,  67. 


Elsler,  Fanny,  149. 
Episcopal  Church,  18-21 

Feron,  Madame,  127. 
Fisher,  Joseph,  58, 
Franklin,  Benjamin,  48, 49. 
Franklin's  "  Pennsylvania 

Gazette,"  29. 
French,  Mrs.,  80,  83,  84,  86. 
Friends'  Yearly  Meeting  in 

1716,  17. 
Furness,    Rev.    Wm.   H., 

120,  121. 

Gallatin,  114. 

Gallupi,  98. 

Garcia  Opera  Troupe,  108. 

German  Musical  Societies, 

166, 
Germania   Orchestra,    161, 

167. 
Gilles,  P.,  57,  58,  60,  63,  71, 

80,  83. 
Gillingham,  George,  39,  43, 

68. 
Glossop,  Mrs.,  126. 
Gluck, 105,  108,  146. 
Gottschalk,  160,  161,  170. 
Grisi,  160,  170,  171. 

Handel,  41  (see  "  Mes- 
siah"), 52,  80,  87,  91,  95, 
97.  98,  103,  105,  137- 

Handel  and  Haydn  So- 
ciety, 68,  79,  127. 


198 


INDEX 

Hallam  Company  of  Eng-  Jarvis,  Charles,  124. 

lish  actors,  27-30,  32,  34-  Jarvis,  Charles  H.,  124. 

35.  Jaynes'  Hall,  162. 

Hallam,  Lewis,  27-30.  Jefferson,    Elizabeth,    103, 

Handelian  Society,  55.  105. 

Harmonica,     or     Musical  Johnson's  Band,  44,  45. 

Glasses,  48.  Julien,  i66,  167. 
Harmonic  Society,  54,  55. 

Harpsichord,  46.  Kane,  John  K.,  57,  58,  59, 

Harrowgate  Garden,  38.  64-66,  143,  173. 

Haydn    (see    "  Creation"),  Keyser,  Elhanan  W.,  174. 

37.  42,  57.  79.  81,  82,  83,  Klemm,  J.  G.,  83. 

89,  98,  103,  104,  108,  144,  Koecker,  Leonard,  57. 

153- 

Hensler,  160,  170,  171,  173.  Lafayette,  43,  45,  46;  Sec- 

Herz,  Henri,  155,  161.  ond  Visit,  105. 

Hommann,    John    C,    58,  Lagrange,    160,    170,    172, 

60,    76,    107;    John,   58;  173. 

Charles,  58,  76.  Lammot,  Daniel,  59,  64. 

Horn,  C.  E.,  126.  Le  Brun,  157. 

Howard,  James,  131.  Le  Roy,  107. 

Hunt,  Leigh,  48,  49.  Lind,    160,    164,    168,    i6g, 

Hupfeld,    Charles    P.,    43,  170. 

49,  50.  51.  57.  58,  59.  60,  Liszt,  155. 

63,  71,   80,  83,   85,    106,  London      Musical      Fund 

154.  Society,  61. 

Hupfeld,  John,  57,  58.  Longfellow,  171. 

Loud,  Thomas,  47,  48,  51, 

Independent        Harmonic  58,  63,  71,  83,  107. 

Society,  55.  Lutheran  :  St.  John's  Eng- 

Instruments,  Musical,  46-  lish     Lutheran    Church, 

49,  84,  85.  55. 
Irving,  Washington,  129. 

Italian    School,    103,    146,  Madeira,    Louis     C.    (see 

147.  Preface),  148,  166. 
199 


INDEX 

Malibran,  107-109, 128, 170.        66 ;    Purpose,   62 ;    Pro- 
Maretzek's  Opera   House,        gramme   of    First    Con- 

i6g.  cert,  70 ;   Orchestra,  102, 

Mario,  160,  170,  171.  104,    144,    146,    148,   152, 

Marshall,     Chief  -  Justice,         153,  154,  155;  the  "Acad- 

114,  118.  emy,"   104-107,    110-112, 

Martini,  37.  143,  145. 

Mehul,  76,  103,  146. 

Meignen,  L.,  154.  National     Amphitheatre, 
Mendelssohn,  gg,  155.  168. 

Mercantile   Library  Asso-  "  National  Gazette,"  141. 

ciation.  Course  of  Lee-  Norma,  130. 

tures,  120,  121. 

♦'  Messiah,"     by     Handel,  Oldmixon,    Mrs.,    41 ;    Sir 

36,  40,  42,  56,  log.  John,  41. 

Methodists,  25. 

Meyer,  Leopold  De,  154.  Paer,  80,  104. 

Meyerbeer,  154.  Paganini,  149,  150,  151. 

Moravians,  24,  25,  78,  79,  Paine,  Thomas,  4g. 

84.  Palestrina,  g8. 

Morelli,  172,  173.  Patterson,  Dr.  Robert  W., 
Mozart,  57,  80,  8g,  95,  g8,         57,  58,  59,  87. 

108,  139,    140,    144,    146,  Philadelphia,      Musical 

153-  Outlook,  174,  175. 

Music  Stores,  43, 49,  80, 81.  Piano-forte,   Manufacture, 
Musical  Fund  Hall :  Erec-         46-48. 

tion,  93-101;  Lectures  by  Pico,  Rosina,  151,  153. 

Famous    Men,    120-122;  Plays,  Early  Performances, 

Orations     and     Political         26-30,  32-40. 

Meetings,  113-119;  En-  Plumstead's     Warehouse, 

largement,  157-160.  26. 

Musical      Fund     Society  :  Poole,  Elizabeth,  i3g,  140. 

Officers  elected  at  First  Poulson,  Charles  C,  57-5g. 

Meeting,    sg ;     List     of  "  Poulson's    Daily  Adver- 

Original     Members,    60,         tiser,"  85. 
200 


INDEX 


Power,  Tyrone,  127,  128, 

Presbyterian  Church,  22, 
23 ;  Second  Presbyterian 
Church,  54 ;  Fifth  Pres- 
byterian Church,  55,  93. 

"  President,"  the  Ship 
Lost  at  Sea,  129. 

Purcell,  97,  98. 

Quakers,  18,  122. 

Rawle,  119. 

Reformed  German  Church, 

36. 
Reinagle,  Alexander,  52. 
Reis,  98. 
Roman    Catholic   Church, 

21,  22,  25. 
Romberg,  71,  98. 
Rovere,  172. 
Rossi,  160. 
Rossini,   72,   90,   108,   150, 

172. 
Russell,    Henry,    131-138, 

150. 

Sanguirico,  150,  153. 
St.  Andrew's  Church,  91. 
St.  Augustine's  Church,  56. 
St.  Cecilia  Society,  56. 
St.  Joseph's  Roman  Catho- 
lic Church,  21,  22. 
St.  Peter's  Church,  50,  51, 

52,  94- 
St.  Stephen's  Church,  91. 


Schetky,  George,  49,  58,  59, 
60,  63,  69,  71,  76,  87,  123, 
124. 

Schmitz,  107. 

Schumann,  99,  151. 

"  Seasons,"  146. 

Seguin,  Edward  and  Anne, 
139,  140. 

Sergeant,  John,  115. 

Shireff,  Jane,  139. 

Sivori,  151. 

Smith,  Francis  G.,  68. 

Societies  :  Various  Early 
Singing  Societies,  54-56. 

Sonnambula,  129,  131,  167, 
168. 

Sontag,  160,  165 ;  her  Re- 
ception, 165-168,  170. 

Strickland,  William,  50,  59, 
94,  99. 

Sully,  Thomas,  53,  60,  95. 

Symphony,  First  Per- 
formance in  Philadel- 
phia, 144,  145. 

Taylor,  Raynor,  43,  49,  51, 
52,  60. 

Theatre,  Chestnut  Street, 
39,  41,  43.  45;  New,  in 
Water  Street,  29;  New, 
on  Society  Hill,  30 ; 
'•  Northern  Liberties," 
38 ;  "  Old  South,"  or 
"  Southwark,"  30, ,  32, 
34,  37- 


INDEX 


Union   Harmonic  Society, 

55- 

"United  States  Gazette," 
log,  iig. 

University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, 41,  52,  54,  91,  116, 
117. 

Uranian  Society,  54. 

Vauxhall  Garden,  43. 
Viardot,  170. 
Vieuxtemps,  150, 151,  154. 


Wallace,  W.  V.,  150. 
Washington,    George,    22,' 

36,  37.  38. 
Washington  Hall,  69,  70, 

79,  81,  83,  84,  88,  92,  100. 
Weber,  109,  131,  155,  167. 
Webster,  Daniel,  169. 
Weisse,  J.  D.,  76,  84,  85. 
Willis,  Nathaniel  P.,  171. 
Wood,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  129- 

131.  139. 


THE  DEATH  ROLL 

CHAR1.ES  F.  HEATOX. 
■!a  the  infirmities  of  advanced  years 
.?s  F.  Heaton,  superintendent  of  Mu- 
Fund  Hall,  died  at  his  home,  810 
st  St.,  early  yesterday  morning.  His 
h  had  been  ebbing  rapidly  for  the 
vear,  but  up  to  -within  an  hour  of  his 
;  he  was  in  full  possession  of  his 
il  factulties.  Funeral  services  will 
id  at  the  house  to-morrow  afternoon 
o'clock,  interment  will  be  made  at 
1  Hill  Cemetery. 

iueaton   was   widely   known   in   Ma- 
and      theatrical   circles  of  the  last 
■  ation.    He  was  a  member  of  Phoenix 
.   .j,;<?,   No.    130,    F.   and   A.   M.;   Harmony 
K.  A.  Chapter,  No.  52;  Mary  Commandery. 
No.    36.    K.    T.;    Lu    Lu   Temple,   A.    A.    O. 
"'     1\T.    S.,    and    Franklin    Lodge,    No.    4, 
OF.    He  was  born  seventy-five  j'ears 
a  the  Old  district  of -Cohocksink.     In 
t ;    ij    life  he  learned   the  trade  of  a  ma- 
chinist in  the  establishment  of  R.  P.  Mor- 
r!=^.     Subsequently  he  became  an  engineer 
'iii  United  States  Mint,  in  this  city,  a 
:oii  which  he  resigned  on  the  break- 
uit   of   the    war   to   enlist   in   Colonel 
s   regiment.     On  being  mustered   out 
'  completion  of  his  three  months'  ser- 
Mr.  Heaton  was  unable  to  regain  his 
•on   in   the   Mint.     Shortly   afterward 
IS  tendered  by  John  Drew,  then  man- 
iff  the  Arch  St.  Theatre,  the  position 
lorkeeper,    which   \vas   in   those  days 
•h  more  responsible  place  than  now. 
'leaton  remained  some  years  at  the 
bt.  Theatre,  then  in  the  heyday  of  its 
i-rity,    and    during   this    time   formed 
•qualntance  of  nearly  all  the  leading 
s  of  the  day.     He  was  subsequently 
eeper  at  the  old  Continental  Theatre, 
it  the  Walnut  St.  Theatre  when  the 
r    was    under    the     management     of 
las  Hemphill. 

withdrew   from   his   position  at  the 
iut  St.   Theatre  about   the  year  1880 


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